Located in San Juan County, New Mexico, Cox Canyon Arch is a natural arch at about 1,930 m (6,332 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Aztec, about 21 km (13 mi) away (Cox Canyon Arch lies NNE of town).
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cox Canyon Arch 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:16 AM | 90° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:53 AM | 60° ENE | 8:35 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 119° ESE | 4:59 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 37m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:47 PM | 9h 54m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 09m |
| May | 5:35 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 09m |
| June | 5:22 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 41m |
| July | 5:34 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 28m |
| August | 6:02 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 35m |
| September | 6:29 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:31 PM | 10h 12m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 38m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Cox Canyon Arch, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 24° 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 | 5:10 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.3 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:16 AM – 5:46 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:09 AM – 4:59 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 12:17 AM – 4:17 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:26 PM – 3:56 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:20 PM – 2:30 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 12:31 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:49 PM – 10:29 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:03 PM – 8:33 PM | 0.5 | 14° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.79 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 31% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (55%). 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 | 60 | 65 | 78 | 83 | 96 | 99 | 101 | 97 | 94 | 83 | 72 | 60 |
| Low °F | -4 | -4 | 8 | 19 | 23 | 35 | 49 | 46 | 28 | 13 | 8 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Cox Canyon Arch, closest first.
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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.