Steens Mountain — a mountain peak in Harney County, Oregon — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Caldwell, about 191 km (119 mi) away (Steens Mountain lies SW of town).
Steens Mountain is a large fault-block mountain in the northwest United States, located in Harney County, Oregon. Stretching some fifty miles (80 km) north to south, on its east side it rises from the Alvord Desert at an elevation of about 4,200 feet (1,280 m) to 9,738 feet (2,968 m) at the summit. Steens Mountain is not part of a mountain range but is properly a single mountain, the largest of Oregon's fault-block mountains. The Steens Mountain Wilderness encompasses 170,166 acres (265.9 sq mi; 688.6 km2) of Steens Mountain. 98,859 acres (154.5 sq mi; 400.1 km2) of the Wilderness are protected from grazing and free of cattle.From the Wikipedia article “Steens Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Steens Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:58 AM | 90° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 57° ENE | 8:36 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 122° ESE | 4:24 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 02m |
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 | 6:51 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 4:57 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:29 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 04m |
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 Steens Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:35 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:38 AM – 4:28 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:40 AM – 3:30 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:51 PM – 2:51 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 1:29 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 11:36 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:42 PM – 9:32 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 28% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 59 | 62 | 76 | 82 | 92 | 98 | 104 | 99 | 96 | 87 | 70 | 56 |
| Low °F | -19 | 2 | 11 | 18 | 22 | 30 | 39 | 39 | 29 | 16 | 4 | -10 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.4 |
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
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Steens Mountain, closest first.
Hot Spring
Wilderness Area
Hot Spring
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Steens Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Steens Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Steens Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Steens Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Steens Mountain?
How far is Steens Mountain from Caldwell?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.