Cottonwood Canyon State Park is a state park in Sherman County, Oregon. The nearest town is Goldendale, about 47 km (29 mi) away (Cottonwood Canyon State Park lies SE of town).
Cottonwood Canyon State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon. Established in 2013, it is the second-largest state park in Oregon, encompassing 8,000 acres (3,200 ha) on the lower John Day River. The park land is surrounded by an additional 10,000 acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which is maintained in cooperation with the state to provide a contiguous recreation footprint of over 18,000 acres. The only Oregon State Park larger in size is Silver Falls State Park, which encompasses 9,064 acres (3,668 ha). In 2024, Cottonwood Canyon was officially certified as an International Dark Sky Park, recognizing its exceptional lack of light pollution and commitment to sky preservation.From the Wikipedia article “Cottonwood Canyon State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cottonwood Canyon State Park 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) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 55° NE | 8:55 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:50 AM | 89° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:40 AM | 124° ESE | 4:22 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
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:06 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:26 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:29 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:37 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 4:58 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:59 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 40m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:13 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:25 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:49 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:47 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 7:02 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:25 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:54 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 Cottonwood Canyon State Park, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:07 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:07 AM – 4:17 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:07 AM – 3:17 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:30 PM – 2:30 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:13 PM – 1:13 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:08 PM – 11:18 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:57 PM – 9:17 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: 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 ≈ 21.81 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 25% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 63 | 65 | 80 | 86 | 95 | 100 | 102 | 100 | 101 | 88 | 69 | 61 |
| Low °F | -4 | 8 | 12 | 25 | 30 | 37 | 44 | 44 | 34 | 19 | 10 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 3.5 |
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 state park
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Trail maps often mark overlooks — combine them with the sun azimuth to plan.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.
Suggested gear: Versatile zoom lens, Tripod, Park pass. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Cottonwood Canyon State Park, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
State Park
Natural Arch
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cottonwood Canyon State Park?
What time is golden hour at Cottonwood Canyon State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cottonwood Canyon State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cottonwood Canyon State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cottonwood Canyon State Park?
How far is Cottonwood Canyon State Park from Goldendale?
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.