Needles Eye is a natural arch in La Paz County, Arizona at about 755 m (2,477 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 36 km (22 mi) S of Ehrenberg.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Needles Eye 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 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:43 AM | 90° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:30 AM | 61° ENE | 7:51 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 21m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:27 AM | 89° E | 6:36 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 118° ESE | 5:36 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 57m |
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
Arches glow when reflected light bounces off nearby rock — the underside of an arch often turns bright orange just after sunrise or before sunset.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:16 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:19 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 11m |
| February | 6:58 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:49 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 6:25 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:11 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:35 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 5:12 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 53m |
| June | 5:00 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:19 PM | 14h 21m |
| July | 5:12 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:17 PM | 14h 09m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:52 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:11 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:18 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:17 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:31 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 27m |
| December | 7:08 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:01 PM | 9h 58m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), 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 Needles Eye, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 5:07 AM – 5:57 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:19 AM – 5:19 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:16 AM – 4:36 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:17 PM – 3:57 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:32 PM – 3:42 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:28 PM – 2:18 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:55 PM – 12:15 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:09 PM – 10:09 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:28 PM – 8:18 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: 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 ≈ 21.77 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 14% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (38%). 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 | 87 | 90 | 99 | 104 | 114 | 123 | 121 | 118 | 118 | 108 | 97 | 84 |
| Low °F | 24 | 24 | 33 | 40 | 47 | 56 | 66 | 64 | 55 | 38 | 30 | 28 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
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 natural arch
- At night, arches make classic Milky Way foregrounds; low-level lighting or blue hour exposures keep the rock detailed.
- Use a wide lens and get close to emphasize the span against the sky.
- Never climb on arches; many are fragile and climbing is prohibited on park lands.
- Midday sun creates hard shadows, but can light the underside through reflection in narrow canyons.
- Frame distant features through the opening of the arch for a natural window.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Spring and autumn offer mild temperatures in desert arch country; summer heat is extreme at midday.
Suggested gear: Ultra-wide lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Plenty of water. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Needles Eye, closest first.
Wilderness Area
National Wildlife Refuge
Natural ArchFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Needles Eye?
What time is golden hour at Needles Eye?
Where does the sun rise and set at Needles Eye?
Can you see the Milky Way from Needles Eye?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Needles Eye?
How far is Needles Eye from Ehrenberg?
Sources
Location data: USGS GNIS / GeoNames. 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.