Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument is a National Monument in Arizona. This guide combines the park's official information with computed sunrise, sunset and Milky Way times, satellite climate data and 1 photo locations inside or next to the park.
Best photo spots in Grand Canyon-Parashant
We matched 1 named overlooks, waterfalls, peaks and other features to Grand Canyon-Parashant. Each has its own page with sun directions and a monthly golden hour table.
Dark Sky Places (1)
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour
At Grand Canyon-Parashant the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Sunset az. | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:46 AM | 8:25 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:43 PM | 244° | 9h 57m |
| February | 7:23 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:16 PM | 255° | 10h 53m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:42 PM | 268° | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:09 PM | 283° | 13h 07m |
| May | 5:29 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:35 PM | 295° | 14h 06m |
| June | 5:17 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:55 PM | 300° | 14h 38m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:53 PM | 298° | 14h 24m |
| August | 5:53 AM | 6:29 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:27 PM | 288° | 13h 34m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:52 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:44 PM | 274° | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:17 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:00 PM | 260° | 11h 17m |
| November | 7:13 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:27 PM | 248° | 10h 15m |
| December | 7:40 AM | 8:20 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:21 PM | 241° | 9h 41m |
Computed for the park's reference point (36.4154, -113.6683); large parks span several minutes of difference.
Milky Way & dark skies
From Grand Canyon-Parashant, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Not visible in darkness | — | — |
| February | 5:23 AM – 5:53 AM | 0.5 | 14° |
| March | 3:39 AM – 5:19 AM | 1.7 | 21° |
| April | 1:30 AM – 4:20 AM | 2.8 | 24° |
| May | 11:37 PM – 3:37 AM | 4.0 | 25° |
| June | 9:46 PM – 3:16 AM | 5.5 | 25° |
| July | 9:41 PM – 2:01 AM | 4.3 | 25° |
| August | 9:02 PM – 11:52 PM | 2.8 | 24° |
| September | 8:11 PM – 9:51 PM | 1.7 | 21° |
| October | 7:26 PM – 7:56 PM | 0.5 | 14° |
| November | Not visible in darkness | — | — |
| December | Not visible in darkness | — | — |
2 Estimated Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars.
Weather & best time to visit
Parashant is split between low elevation Mojave Desert on the west side and high elevation pinyon/juniper/ponderosa highlands on the east side. Expect sun on average 310 days per year. The summer months of June through September are very hot on the west side with highs above 100°F daily (80°F+ at night) below 2,500 feet. The high elevation east side is ~15°F cooler. Expect heavy afternoon monsoon storms June - September. Roads often stay muddy/icy above 5,500 feet December - February.
Weather overview: National Park Service.
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 23% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (50%). 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 (%)
Average high (°F)
Photography permits, drones & fees
Permits. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones. Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Getting there
• The monument is located in the northwest corner of Arizona, bordering Nevada to the west and near the southern border of Utah. The monument has entry roads from Nevada, Utah and Arizona. • There are no paved roads or visitor services within the monument's million-plus acres. • Visitors should be prepared for travel on rugged dirt roads, with an appropriate high-clearance vehicle equipped with all-terrain tires. Spare tires should also be all-terrain rated.
Directions: National Park Service.
Activities
- Auto and ATV
- Scenic Driving
- Astronomy
- Stargazing
- Biking
- Camping
- Backcountry Camping
- Hiking
- Backcountry Hiking
- Junior Ranger Program
Nearby parks
AZ/NV
AZ
UT
AZ
NV
UT