Located in Coconino County, Arizona, Fishtail Mesa is a rock formation. The nearest town is Fredonia, about 57 km (35 mi) away (Fishtail Mesa lies S of town).
Fishtail Mesa is a linear, narrow plateau, adjacent the west-flowing Colorado River in western Grand Canyon, in Coconino County, Northern Arizona, about 2.0 miles east of Kanab Point, and the outfall of south-flowing Kanab Creek, a major north tributary of the Colorado River, from southern Utah. Fishtail Mesa is part of the North Rim (west) and also lies 4.0 miles west of the outfall of Deer Creek, and Deer Creek Falls at the Colorado, a common stopover campsite for river rafters. The linear and southwest direction of Fishtail Mesa, lies adjacent as the southwest border of Fishtail Canyon (and Creek); at the Colorado, the Fishtail Rapids occur as minor rapids of the Colorado River. Some other nearby prominences to Fishtail Mesa, are Paguekwash Point, about 5.0 miles southwest, and Mount Sinyella, 8.0 miles south-southwest, and on the South Rim region of the Grand Canyon.From the Wikipedia article “Fishtail Mesa”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fishtail Mesa 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.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:35 AM | 90° E | 6:42 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 60° ENE | 7:52 PM | 300° WNW | 77° | 14h 39m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:19 AM | 89° E | 6:29 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 119° ESE | 5:19 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 40m |
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 | 7:42 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:07 PM | 9h 57m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 52m |
| March | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:38 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:31 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:32 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:31 PM | 13h 07m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:59 PM | 14h 06m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:51 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 14h 38m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:19 PM | 14h 25m |
| August | 5:22 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:50 PM | 13h 34m |
| September | 5:48 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:39 PM | 7:05 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:12 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:13 AM | 5:21 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:21 PM | 11h 17m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 14m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 41m |
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 Fishtail Mesa, 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 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:18 AM – 5:48 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:34 AM – 5:14 AM | 1.7 | 21° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:25 AM – 4:15 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 11:32 PM – 3:32 AM | 4.0 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:41 PM – 3:11 AM | 5.5 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:36 PM – 1:56 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:57 PM – 11:47 PM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:06 PM – 9:46 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:21 PM – 7:51 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.9 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 26% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (52%). 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 | 65 | 69 | 81 | 87 | 97 | 103 | 103 | 101 | 100 | 87 | 75 | 64 |
| Low °F | 4 | -2 | 17 | 20 | 25 | 38 | 50 | 47 | 32 | 17 | 14 | 5 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.0 |
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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Fishtail Mesa, closest first.
Natural Arch
Waterfall
Wilderness AreaNatural ArchWaterfallWaterfall
WaterfallWaterfallNatural ArchCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fishtail Mesa?
What time is golden hour at Fishtail Mesa?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fishtail Mesa?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fishtail Mesa?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fishtail Mesa?
How far is Fishtail Mesa from Fredonia?
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.