Castle Dome — a rock formation in Yuma County, Arizona — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. The nearest town is Wellton, about 46 km (29 mi) away (Castle Dome lies N of town).
Castle Dome, or Castle Dome Peak is a prominent butte and high point of the Castle Dome Mountains northeast of Yuma, Arizona, in the northwestern Sonoran Desert. The butte lies approximately 22 miles (35 km) east of the historical Castle Dome Landing on the Colorado River (site submerged by the Imperial Reservoir). It is located above and east of US Route 95 and the Castle Dome mining district. Castle Dome is noteworthy for its recreational use for day hiking. It is also often coated in winter or spring snowstorms as a white landform, with its loss of white being determined by season and duration of storm temperatures. Castle Dome's height is 3,791 feet (1,155 m).From the Wikipedia article “Castle Dome (butte)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Castle Dome 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) | 6:41 AM | 90° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:29 AM | 61° ENE | 7:49 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:25 AM | 89° E | 6:35 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:37 AM | 118° ESE | 5:34 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 58m |
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
Rock towers and buttes glow red and orange in the first and last half-hour of sun; midday light flattens their shape.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:14 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 12m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 6:23 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:10 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:33 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 52m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:16 PM | 14h 20m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:15 PM | 14h 08m |
| August | 5:34 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:50 PM | 13h 23m |
| September | 5:56 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:44 PM | 7:09 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:17 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 28m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:32 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 59m |
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 Castle Dome, 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 | 5:06 AM – 5:56 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:18 AM – 5:18 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:14 AM – 4:34 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:15 PM – 3:55 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:30 PM – 3:40 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:26 PM – 2:16 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:54 PM – 12:14 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:08 PM – 10:08 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:27 PM – 8:17 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 ≈ 21.78 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 rock formation
- Use the sunrise and sunset azimuths below to know which face will be lit.
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Launching or landing drones on National Wildlife Refuge lands generally requires a special use permit from the refuge manager, and wildlife disturbance rules apply everywhere.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Castle Dome, closest first.
Natural ArchNatural Arch
National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Castle Dome?
What time is golden hour at Castle Dome?
Where does the sun rise and set at Castle Dome?
Can you see the Milky Way from Castle Dome?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Castle Dome?
How far is Castle Dome from Wellton?
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.