Hosta Butte is a rock formation in McKinley County, New Mexico. It lies in or next to Chaco Culture National Historical Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Crownpoint, about 10.8 km (6.7 mi) away (Hosta Butte lies SSW of town).
Hosta Butte is an ancestral site southwest of Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. Along with Gobernador Knob and Huérfano Mountain, it forms part of the Dinétah, considered to be the birthplace of early Navajo culture. The mountain, with an elevation of 8,622 feet (2,628 m), is in close proximity to Crownpoint, New Mexico. Due to its prominence in the cosmography of Native tribes in the area, the mountain contains a number of small shrines. In 1877, photographer William Henry Jackson named the butte in honor of Francisco Hosta, who guided him to the Ancestral Puebloan ruins in Chaco Canyon. Uranium mining is exploited in the area, over some 3,020 acres, and forms part of the Grants Uranium Belt.From the Wikipedia article “Hosta Butte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hosta Butte 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 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:17 AM | 90° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:58 AM | 60° ENE | 8:32 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:19 AM | 119° ESE | 5:04 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 45m |
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 | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 01m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:14 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 02m |
| June | 5:28 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 33m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:29 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 20m |
| August | 6:06 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:31 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:39 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:22 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:34 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 46m |
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 Hosta Butte, 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 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 | 5:01 AM – 5:31 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:06 AM – 5:56 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:06 AM – 5:06 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:11 AM – 4:21 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:19 PM – 4:09 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:14 PM – 2:44 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 12:37 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:48 PM – 10:38 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:04 PM – 8:34 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.89 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 30% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (55%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 61 | 66 | 76 | 83 | 94 | 99 | 99 | 96 | 94 | 84 | 73 | 64 |
| Low °F | -3 | -5 | 11 | 18 | 22 | 33 | 49 | 47 | 29 | 13 | 10 | 3 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
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.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hosta Butte?
What time is golden hour at Hosta Butte?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hosta Butte?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hosta Butte?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hosta Butte?
How far is Hosta Butte from Crownpoint?
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.