Located in Elmore County, Idaho, Raft River National Forest is a national forest. The nearest town is Ketchum, about 57 km (35 mi) away (Raft River National Forest lies WNW of town).
Raft River National Forest was established as the Raft River Forest Reserve in Utah and Idaho on November 5, 1906 with 410,247 acres (1,660.21 km2). It became a National Forest on March 4, 1907 and was named after the Raft River Mountains, which it contained. On July 1, 1908 it was combined with Cassia National Forest to create Minidoka National Forest. The name was discontinued. The land is now part of Sawtooth National Forest as the Raft River Division of the Minidoka Ranger District.From the Wikipedia article “Raft River National Forest”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Raft River National Forest the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:44 AM | 90° E | 7:53 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:58 AM | 56° NE | 9:27 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:28 AM | 89° E | 7:39 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:12 AM | 123° ESE | 5:06 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 54m |
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
Forests suit soft light — overcast days reduce contrast under the canopy, and morning fog adds depth.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:40 AM | 8:12 AM | 8:57 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:28 PM | 6:00 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:20 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:31 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:15 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:27 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:54 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:42 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 8:18 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:33 PM | 14h 44m |
| June | 5:22 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:41 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:01 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 5:37 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:21 PM | 9:56 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 6:14 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:58 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:26 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:34 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 7:05 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:47 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 7:35 AM | 8:08 AM | 8:56 AM | 4:17 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:37 PM | 8h 55m |
Local time (America/Boise), 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 Raft River National Forest, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:33 AM – 6:13 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:29 AM – 5:09 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:34 AM – 4:04 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:50 PM – 3:30 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:36 PM – 2:06 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:38 PM – 12:08 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:31 PM – 10:01 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.89 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 30% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 45 | 50 | 63 | 75 | 86 | 94 | 98 | 96 | 91 | 82 | 64 | 45 |
| Low °F | -21 | -16 | -8 | 11 | 19 | 26 | 35 | 33 | 24 | 6 | -29 | -18 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.9 |
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 national forest
- Look for fire lookouts and high roads for views over the canopy.
- Fall color peaks vary by elevation; follow it downhill over several weeks.
- Dispersed camping is often allowed, which makes sunrise and night shoots easier — check local rules.
- Forest roads can close in winter or after storms; download offline maps.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Autumn color and spring flowers draw photographers; winter brings snow-covered forests in the North and West.
Suggested gear: Polarizer, Tripod, Offline maps, Insect repellent. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Recreational drones are generally allowed in national forests outside designated wilderness, subject to FAA rules and temporary flight restrictions — wildfire TFRs are common in summer.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Raft River National Forest, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Lake
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
WaterfallWilderness Area
Hot SpringHot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Alturas Lake Inlet9.4 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
- North Shore Campground11.0 km (6.8 mi) · reservable
- Smokey Bear Campground11.4 km (7.1 mi) · reservable
- Alturas Lake Picnic Area (Id)12.3 km (7.6 mi) · reservable
- Pettit Lake Campground14.1 km (8.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Raft River National Forest?
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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.