Pilot Knob is a mountain peak in Imperial County, California at about 252 m (827 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 7.2 km (4.5 mi) WNW of Donovan Estates.
Pilot Knob (also, Avie Quah-la-Altwa, Ha-bee-co-la-la, and San Pablo) is a peak in Imperial County, California. Pilot Knob is located 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Ogilby, It rises to an elevation of 876 feet (267 m). Pilot Knob is a rocky landform, geologically a Volcanic plug, west of Yuma, Arizona–Winterhaven, California; it is connected to the Cargo Muchacho Mountains, the central portion of the mountains being about 7 miles (11 km) north. Pilot Knob was named for its prominence as a landmark for riverboat traffic in the 19th-20th centuries on the Colorado River which borders Winterhaven–Yuma. Pilot Knob is an Area of Critical Environmental Concern administered by the Bureau of Land Management.From the Wikipedia article “Pilot Knob (Imperial County, California)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pilot Knob the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:44 AM | 90° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:32 AM | 61° ENE | 7:51 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 18m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:28 AM | 89° E | 6:37 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:38 AM | 118° ESE | 4:38 PM | 243° WSW | 34° | 10h 00m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:15 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:19 AM | 4:19 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:23 PM | 10h 14m |
| February | 5:58 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:57 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:50 PM | 11h 02m |
| March | 6:26 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:12 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:45 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 59m |
| May | 5:14 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 50m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:18 PM | 14h 18m |
| July | 5:15 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:17 PM | 14h 06m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:37 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 13h 22m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:56 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:11 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:19 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:17 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:32 PM | 11h 24m |
| November | 5:44 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:46 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:05 PM | 10h 29m |
| December | 6:08 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:12 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:03 PM | 10h 01m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Pilot Knob, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:08 AM – 4:58 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:19 AM – 5:19 AM | 2.0 | 25° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:15 AM – 4:35 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:16 PM – 3:56 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:31 PM – 3:41 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:27 PM – 2:17 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:55 PM – 12:15 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:10 PM – 10:20 PM | 2.2 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:29 PM – 8:19 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.62 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 25% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (40%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 85 | 89 | 101 | 104 | 112 | 120 | 121 | 117 | 115 | 108 | 97 | 86 |
| Low °F | 24 | 27 | 35 | 41 | 47 | 56 | 67 | 65 | 55 | 43 | 31 | 29 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this mountain peak
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Pilot Knob, closest first.
State Park
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
State Park
Ghost Town
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pilot Knob?
What time is golden hour at Pilot Knob?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pilot Knob?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pilot Knob?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pilot Knob?
How far is Pilot Knob from Donovan Estates?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.