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34.4661° N116.7756° WBortle 4Los Angeles

Negro Butte Photography Guide

Rock Formation in San Bernardino County, California

  • Bortle 4 sky
  • Sunset azimuth 242°–300°
  • Clearest: June
  • Milky Way Feb–Oct

Negro Butte is a rock formation in San Bernardino County, California. It sits roughly 17.8 km (11.1 mi) E of Lucerne Valley.

Negro Butte is a summit in San Bernardino County, California, in the United States. It has an elevation of 3,527 feet (1,075 m).From the Wikipedia article “Negro Butte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Nearest town
Lucerne Valley
17.8 km (11.1 mi)
Sky darkness
Bortle 4
Rural / suburban transition
Clearest month
June
14% cloud
Milky Way peak
June
6.0 h window
Golden hour (Oct)
5:40 PM
sunset 6:14 PM

Light at Negro Butte

Live
Sunrise
6:57 AM
Sunset
6:08 PM
Golden hour AM
6:42 AM – 7:32 AM
Golden hour PM
5:33 PM – 6:23 PM
Blue hour AM
6:32 AM – 6:42 AM
Blue hour PM
6:23 PM – 6:33 PM
Full darkness
7:32 PM – 5:34 AM
Moon
Waxing Gibbous · 71%
Moonrise / set
3:08 PM / 1:19 AM
Day length
11h 10m
Sunrise azimuth
102°
Sunset azimuth
258°
000306091215182124
NightTwilightBlue hourGolden hourDaylight

Times in America/Los Angeles. Golden hour = sun −4° to +6°; blue hour = −6° to −4°.

Clouds at sunrise & sunset

NWS

Hourly sky cover from the National Weather Service. 20–60% cloud often gives the most colorful sunrises and sunsets.

Sunrise & sunset directions

At Negro Butte 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.

NESW60°30°
June solsticeEquinoxesDecember solstice
DateSunriseAzimuthSunsetAzimuthNoon sunDaylight
March equinox (Mar 20)6:52 AM90° E6:59 PM271° W55°12h 08m
June solstice (Jun 21)5:36 AM61° ENE8:04 PM300° WNW79°14h 28m
September equinox (Sep 22)6:36 AM89° E6:45 PM271° W56°12h 09m
December solstice (Dec 21)6:51 AM118° ESE4:41 PM242° WSW32°9h 51m

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 startsSunriseGolden hour endsGolden hour startsSunsetBlue hour endsDaylight
January6:27 AM6:54 AM7:32 AM4:23 PM5:00 PM5:28 PM10h 06m
February6:08 AM6:33 AM7:08 AM4:56 PM5:31 PM5:57 PM10h 58m
March6:33 AM6:59 AM7:32 AM6:22 PM6:55 PM7:20 PM11h 57m
April5:50 AM6:16 AM6:50 AM6:45 PM7:19 PM7:45 PM13h 03m
May5:18 AM5:46 AM6:21 AM7:08 PM7:43 PM8:11 PM13h 58m
June5:06 AM5:35 AM6:12 AM7:25 PM8:02 PM8:31 PM14h 27m
July5:18 AM5:46 AM6:23 AM7:25 PM8:01 PM8:30 PM14h 15m
August5:42 AM6:09 AM6:43 AM7:02 PM7:36 PM8:03 PM13h 27m
September6:06 AM6:31 AM7:04 AM6:22 PM6:55 PM7:21 PM12h 24m
October6:28 AM6:53 AM7:27 AM5:40 PM6:14 PM6:39 PM11h 21m
November5:55 AM6:21 AM6:58 AM4:07 PM4:44 PM5:11 PM10h 22m
December6:19 AM6:47 AM7:26 AM4:00 PM4:39 PM5:07 PM9h 52m

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 Negro Butte, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.

MonthCore visible (15th)HoursMax altitudeDirection
JanuaryBelow 10° in darkness—0°—
February4:25 AM – 5:05 AM0.716°SE → SE
March3:39 AM – 5:29 AM1.823°SE → SSE
April1:37 AM – 4:37 AM3.026°SE → S
May11:41 PM – 4:01 AM4.327°SE → SSW
June9:48 PM – 3:48 AM6.027°SE → SW
July9:43 PM – 2:23 AM4.727°SSE → SW
August9:08 PM – 12:18 AM3.227°S → SW
September8:20 PM – 10:10 PM1.823°SSW → SW
October7:37 PM – 8:17 PM0.716°SW → SW
NovemberBelow 10° in darkness—2°—
DecemberBelow 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.83 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 (39%). 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 (%)

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High °F818591991081141141131121008879
Low °F222328333948595547322623
Precip. (in)0.70.80.40.20.10.00.50.40.20.20.40.7

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.
  • 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 Negro Butte, closest first.

Baldwin LakeLake
Baldwin Lake22 km away · San Bernardino County · 2,040 m

Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)

FAQ

When is the best time to photograph Negro Butte?
June has the clearest skies on average; june is best for the milky way core. For light, plan around the first and last hour of sun. Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
What time is golden hour at Negro Butte?
In October the evening golden hour starts around 5:40 PM and ends after sunset at about 6:14 PM; the morning golden hour lasts until about 7:27 AM. Use the live widget above for exact times on any date.
Where does the sun rise and set at Negro Butte?
Sunrise azimuth ranges from about 61° in June to 118° in December; sunset ranges from 300° to 242°. See the sun-path diagram for the full arc.
Can you see the Milky Way from Negro Butte?
Yes — the core is visible from February to October on moonless nights. The estimated sky quality is Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition).
Do you need a permit to photograph at Negro Butte?
Personal photography from public land rarely needs a permit. Commercial shoots, models, large groups and drones may require permission from the land manager — check before you go.
How far is Negro Butte from Lucerne Valley?
About 17.8 km (11.1 mi) in a straight line; driving distance is usually longer, especially in mountain terrain.

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.