Umpqua National Forest — a national forest in Douglas County, Oregon — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 88 km (54 mi) ESE of Sutherlin.
Umpqua National Forest, in southern Oregon's Cascade Range, covers an area of 983,129 acres (3,978.58 km2) in Douglas, Lane, and Jackson counties, and borders the Crater Lake National Park in Southern Oregon. The four ranger districts for the forest are the Cottage Grove, Diamond Lake, North Umpqua, and Tiller ranger districts. The national forest is managed by the United States Forest Service (of the United States Department of Agriculture), headquartered in Roseburg (county seat town of Douglas County), Oregon in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States.From the Wikipedia article “Umpqua National Forest”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Umpqua National Forest the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) 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 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:30 AM | 56° NE | 8:53 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 122° ESE | 4:37 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 59m |
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 | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:13 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 4:54 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:13 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 22m |
| July | 5:09 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 5:45 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 43m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:21 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 00m |
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 Umpqua National Forest, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 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 2 (typical truly dark 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 | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:51 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:55 AM – 4:35 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:58 AM – 3:38 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:11 PM – 3:01 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:58 PM – 1:48 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:03 PM – 11:43 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 9:38 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.88 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 25% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (75%). August 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 | 64 | 64 | 70 | 78 | 87 | 94 | 103 | 99 | 96 | 86 | 74 | 58 |
| Low °F | 1 | -1 | 5 | 11 | 24 | 31 | 36 | 37 | 31 | 21 | 0 | -1 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.6 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 8.5 |
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 Umpqua National Forest, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Lake
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Hot SpringWaterfall
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Thielsen View Campground9.1 km (5.7 mi) · reservable
- Poole Creek10.7 km (6.6 mi) · reservable
- Bunker Hill Campground12.0 km (7.5 mi) · reservable
- Diamond Lake12.1 km (7.5 mi) · reservable
- East Lemolo Campground12.3 km (7.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Umpqua 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.