Elephant Rock — a natural arch in Decatur County, Kansas at about 819 m (2,687 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Oberlin, about 15.9 km (9.9 mi) away (Elephant Rock lies NW of town).
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Elephant Rock the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:47 AM | 90° E | 7:55 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:15 AM | 58° ENE | 9:15 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 15h 00m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:31 AM | 89° E | 7:41 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:02 AM | 121° ESE | 5:22 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 20m |
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 | 7:33 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:45 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:12 PM | 9h 39m |
| February | 7:09 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:47 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 7:28 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:31 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:17 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:58 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:07 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 5:42 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:14 PM | 9:46 PM | 14h 59m |
| July | 5:56 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:07 AM | 8:31 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:43 PM | 14h 44m |
| August | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:10 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:57 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:00 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:26 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:30 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 7:00 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:57 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 7:28 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:41 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 21m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Elephant Rock, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° 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 | 5:50 AM – 6:00 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 5:00 AM – 6:20 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:58 AM – 5:18 AM | 2.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 1:02 AM – 4:32 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 11:17 PM – 4:07 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 11:09 PM – 2:39 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 12:43 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 9:26 PM – 10:36 PM | 1.2 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:35 PM – 8:45 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 37% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (60%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 74 | 80 | 88 | 95 | 104 | 115 | 111 | 107 | 106 | 93 | 83 | 69 |
| Low °F | -5 | -3 | -2 | 17 | 26 | 45 | 53 | 50 | 35 | 18 | 9 | -1 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Elephant Rock?
What time is golden hour at Elephant Rock?
Where does the sun rise and set at Elephant Rock?
Can you see the Milky Way from Elephant Rock?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Elephant Rock?
How far is Elephant Rock from Oberlin?
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.