The Needles is a rock formation in Mohave County, Arizona. It is part of Havasu National Wildlife Refuge. It sits roughly 12.3 km (7.6 mi) SSE of Golden Shores.
The Needles are a distinctive group of rock pinnacles, mountain peaks adjacent to the Topock Gorge, and the Colorado River on the northwestern extreme of the Mojave Mountains within the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. They range from 1,207 feet (368 m) to over 1,600 feet (490 m) in altitude.From the Wikipedia article “The Needles (Arizona)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At The Needles 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 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:42 AM | 90° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:26 AM | 61° ENE | 7:55 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:27 AM | 89° E | 6:36 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:42 AM | 118° ESE | 4:31 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 50m |
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 | 6:18 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:18 PM | 10h 05m |
| February | 5:58 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:59 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 6:24 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:11 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:36 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 58m |
| June | 4:56 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:23 PM | 14h 28m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:21 PM | 14h 16m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 5:56 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:11 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:19 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:30 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 5:46 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:49 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:01 PM | 10h 22m |
| December | 6:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:17 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:29 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 51m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 The Needles, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:16 AM – 4:56 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:30 AM – 5:20 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:29 AM – 4:29 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:33 PM – 3:53 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:40 PM – 3:30 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:35 PM – 2:05 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:00 PM – 12:10 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:12 PM – 10:02 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:28 PM – 8:08 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.64 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 16% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (41%). 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 | 88 | 97 | 103 | 111 | 120 | 121 | 118 | 116 | 106 | 94 | 82 |
| Low °F | 24 | 23 | 32 | 37 | 47 | 55 | 67 | 65 | 53 | 37 | 28 | 26 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 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 rock formation
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 The Needles, closest first.
Canyon
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
Natural Arch
National Wildlife Refuge
LighthouseLighthouse
Beach
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph The Needles?
What time is golden hour at The Needles?
Where does the sun rise and set at The Needles?
Can you see the Milky Way from The Needles?
Do you need a permit to photograph at The Needles?
How far is The Needles from Golden Shores?
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.