Dumont Dunes is a sand dunes in San Bernardino County, California. The nearest town is Sandy Valley, about 55 km (34 mi) away (Dumont Dunes lies WSW of town).
Dumont Dunes is an area of the Mojave Desert containing large sand dunes, located approximately 31 miles (50 km) north of Baker, California, United States on California State Route 127. Bordered by steep volcanic hills and the slow running Amargosa River, the region is easily recognized from a distance by its distinctive sand dunes. The elevation here varies from 700 feet (210 m) at the river, to over 1,200 feet (370 m) at the top of Competition Hill, the tallest of the dunes. Most of the dunes are incorporated in the Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area, which is federally administered by the US Bureau of Land Management as a recreational area for off-road vehicle sports, hiking, camping, rock climbing, and rock collecting.From the Wikipedia article “Dumont Dunes”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Dumont Dunes 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 241° (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) | 6:49 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:30 AM | 60° ENE | 8:05 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:43 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:52 AM | 119° ESE | 4:36 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 44m |
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
Dunes need low sun: ripples and ridgelines only appear when side-light casts shadows, so shoot within an hour of sunrise or sunset.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:27 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:17 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:23 PM | 10h 01m |
| February | 6:07 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:08 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 6:31 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:45 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 5:12 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:12 PM | 14h 03m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 34m |
| July | 5:12 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 21m |
| August | 5:38 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:19 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:26 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 5:54 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:59 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:06 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:28 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 45m |
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 Dumont Dunes, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° 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 | 4:33 AM – 5:03 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:38 AM – 5:28 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:39 AM – 4:39 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 11:44 PM – 3:54 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:52 PM – 3:32 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:47 PM – 2:07 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:10 PM – 12:10 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:20 PM – 10:10 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:36 PM – 8:06 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 ≈ 21.69 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 16% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (42%). 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 | 81 | 80 | 92 | 101 | 111 | 116 | 117 | 115 | 114 | 102 | 89 | 75 |
| Low °F | 22 | 23 | 29 | 33 | 41 | 49 | 61 | 57 | 47 | 32 | 24 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 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 sand dunes
- Wind erases tracks overnight — mornings have the cleanest sand.
- Protect gear from blowing sand; avoid changing lenses in the wind.
- Sand surfaces get extremely hot in summer afternoons.
- Walk along ridges rather than across faces to avoid leaving footprints in your future compositions.
- A telephoto isolates S-curves and layered ridges.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Spring and autumn for comfortable temperatures; full moon nights give soft light on the sand.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lens blower, Sun protection, Water. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Dumont Dunes, closest first.
Canyon
Sand Dunes
Wilderness Area
Mountain Pass
Hot SpringFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Dumont Dunes?
What time is golden hour at Dumont Dunes?
Where does the sun rise and set at Dumont Dunes?
Can you see the Milky Way from Dumont Dunes?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Dumont Dunes?
How far is Dumont Dunes from Sandy 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.