Located in San Juan County, Utah, Church Rock is a rock formation. It sits roughly 23 km (14 mi) N of Monticello.
Church Rock is a solitary column of sandstone in southern Utah along the eastern side of U.S. Route 191, near the entrance to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. In the same area with the majestic Colorado and Green River canyons and Canyonlands, this 200-foot roadside oddity near Monticello is called Church Rock. It seldom attracts more than a casual glance, as visitors head toward Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument and the Needles District or drive between Moab and Monticello.From the Wikipedia article “Church Rock (Utah)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Church Rock the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:22 AM | 90° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:56 AM | 59° ENE | 8:44 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 49m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 120° ESE | 5:02 PM | 241° WSW | 28° | 9h 31m |
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 | 7:04 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:51 PM | 9h 49m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:38 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 14m |
| June | 5:23 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:34 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 48m |
| July | 5:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:46 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 33m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 39m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:31 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:35 PM | 10h 08m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 32m |
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 Church Rock, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:15 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:22 AM – 5:52 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:26 AM – 5:06 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:26 AM – 4:16 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:38 PM – 3:58 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:31 PM – 2:31 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 12:30 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 10:26 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:08 PM – 8:28 PM | 0.3 | 13° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 31% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (56%). 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 | 59 | 62 | 77 | 85 | 98 | 102 | 104 | 100 | 98 | 87 | 73 | 59 |
| Low °F | -7 | -8 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 34 | 48 | 47 | 32 | 7 | 8 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Church Rock, closest first.
Ghost Town
Natural ArchNatural Arch
Natural Arch
Rock Formation
Natural ArchCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Windwhistle Campground15.0 km (9.3 mi)
- Windwhistle Group Site15.2 km (9.4 mi) · reservable
- Buckboard24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Superbowl Group Site25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Superbowl Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Church Rock?
What time is golden hour at Church Rock?
Where does the sun rise and set at Church Rock?
Can you see the Milky Way from Church Rock?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Church Rock?
How far is Church Rock from Monticello?
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.