Located in Multnomah County, Oregon, Clatsop Butte is a rock formation. The nearest town is Happy Valley, about 3.6 km (2.2 mi) away (Clatsop Butte lies NNE of town).
Clatsop Butte is an upland butte lying directly south of Powell Butte in southeast Portland, Oregon, United States. Clatsop Butte City Park, which occupies part of the butte, is at coordinates 45°28′28″N 122°30′24″W at an elevation of 577 feet (176 m). Johnson Creek, Southeast Foster Road, and the Springwater Corridor Trail pass between Powell Butte and Clatsop Butte near Southeast 152nd Avenue. The City of Portland acquired about 16 acres (6.5 ha) of land on the butte for a park and natural area in 2000. Other land acquisitions increased the park's size to 102 acres (0.41 km2) by 2007 but led to controversy about public expenditures. A 16-member oversight committee was to review the purchases in 2008 to decide whether the money had been wisely spent.From the Wikipedia article “Clatsop Butte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Clatsop Butte the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 89° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 55° NE | 9:03 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 124° ESE | 4:30 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 42m |
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 | 7:47 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 39m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:56 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 44m |
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 Clatsop Butte, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:15 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:15 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:15 AM – 3:25 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:38 PM – 2:38 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:21 PM – 1:21 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:16 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:25 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 18.6 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). August 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 | 62 | 66 | 74 | 84 | 93 | 100 | 105 | 104 | 101 | 87 | 67 | 61 |
| Low °F | 8 | 15 | 22 | 27 | 33 | 39 | 45 | 44 | 36 | 24 | 15 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.4 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 8.6 | 9.7 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Clatsop Butte, closest first.
Covered Bridge
Botanical Garden
Mountain Peak
Volcano
Mountain Peak
Botanical Garden
State Park
Botanical Garden
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Clatsop Butte?
What time is golden hour at Clatsop Butte?
Where does the sun rise and set at Clatsop Butte?
Can you see the Milky Way from Clatsop Butte?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Clatsop Butte?
How far is Clatsop Butte from Happy Valley?
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.