Castle Rock — a rock formation in Douglas County, Colorado — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 800 m N of Castle Rock.
Castle Rock is a butte in the Colorado Piedmont region of the Great Plains. An area landmark, it is the namesake of the town of Castle Rock, Colorado. The mesa’s caprock consists of rhyolite, rock which is strongly resistant to erosion. About 58 million years ago, a volcanic eruption took place that covered the area around Castle Rock with 20 feet (6.1 m) of rhyolite. After a few million years, mass flooding and erosion of the volcanic rock gave way to the butte-shaped mesa that almost resembles plateau. Public hiking trails on the mesa are in Rock Park, at the intersection of Front Street and Canyon Drive in the town of Castle Rock. The trailhead and parking are about two blocks south of the intersection on Front Street, for a 1.4-mile round-trip hike to the base of the town's namesake (climbing the rest of the way to the summit is discouraged by a sign warning that the loose rocks...From the Wikipedia article “Castle Rock (Colorado)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Castle Rock the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:04 AM | 90° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 58° ENE | 8:30 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 120° ESE | 4:40 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 23m |
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 | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 42m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 20m |
| June | 5:01 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 56m |
| July | 5:14 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 41m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:49 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:15 PM | 10h 02m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 25m |
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 Castle Rock, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:06 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:16 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:13 AM – 4:43 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:16 AM – 3:46 AM | 3.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:30 PM – 3:30 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:22 PM – 2:02 AM | 3.7 | 22° | S → SW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 11:57 PM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 10:01 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:51 PM – 8:01 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.59 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 38% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (57%). 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 | 70 | 73 | 79 | 87 | 95 | 103 | 103 | 102 | 97 | 86 | 77 | 67 |
| Low °F | -2 | -9 | 0 | 10 | 21 | 35 | 49 | 43 | 28 | 8 | -1 | -6 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Castle Rock, closest first.
Rock Formation
State Park
State Park
Canyon
Mountain Peak
Fire LookoutCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Rampart Range Recreation Area Designated Dispersed Camping 20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Flat Rocks Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Indian Creek Equestrian Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Devils Head Campground25 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Osprey (Co)28 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Castle Rock?
What time is golden hour at Castle Rock?
Where does the sun rise and set at Castle Rock?
Can you see the Milky Way from Castle Rock?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Castle Rock?
How far is Castle Rock from Castle Rock?
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.