Crawford State Park Heritage Site — a state park in Pend Oreille County, Washington — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Sandpoint, about 100 km (62 mi) away (Crawford State Park Heritage Site lies NW of town).
Crawford State Park Heritage Site is a 40-acre (16 ha) Washington state park located 11 miles (18 km) north of Metaline on the Canada–United States border in Pend Oreille County. The park preserves Gardner Cave, one of the longest natural limestone caves in the state. The cave is approximately 2,072 feet (632 m) feet in length and has stalactites, stalagmites, rimstone pools, and flowstone. The park is open and offers cave tours on a seasonal basis.From the Wikipedia article “Crawford State Park (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Crawford State Park Heritage Site the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 309° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 64° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:46 AM | 52° NE | 8:58 PM | 309° NW | 64° | 16h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:37 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:42 AM | 126° SE | 3:55 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 13m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:31 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:56 PM | 8h 41m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 11m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:25 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 43m |
| May | 4:30 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 17m |
| June | 4:03 AM | 4:46 AM | 5:36 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:39 PM | 16h 11m |
| July | 4:22 AM | 5:02 AM | 5:51 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 48m |
| August | 5:08 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 24m |
| September | 5:55 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:09 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:36 PM | 12h 38m |
| October | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:18 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:33 PM | 10h 50m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:49 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:45 PM | 9h 10m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:33 AM | 2:58 PM | 3:53 PM | 4:31 PM | 8h 15m |
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 Crawford State Park Heritage Site, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 12° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| April | 3:40 AM – 3:50 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:49 AM – 2:29 AM | 0.7 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:39 PM – 2:09 AM | 2.5 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:50 PM – 12:20 AM | 0.5 | 11° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:17 PM – 10:17 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ 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 34% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 37 | 49 | 63 | 75 | 87 | 98 | 101 | 103 | 94 | 82 | 57 | 41 |
| Low °F | -30 | -23 | -15 | 15 | 25 | 31 | 39 | 39 | 26 | 9 | -23 | -19 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
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.
- 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 Crawford State Park Heritage Site, closest first.
Cave
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Scenic ViewpointWaterfallScenic ViewpointWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- West Sullivan16.0 km (10.0 mi) · reservable
- East Sullivan16.2 km (10.1 mi) · reservable
- Noisy Creek24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Edgewater Campground27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Crawford State Park Heritage Site?
What time is golden hour at Crawford State Park Heritage Site?
Where does the sun rise and set at Crawford State Park Heritage Site?
Can you see the Milky Way from Crawford State Park Heritage Site?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Crawford State Park Heritage Site?
How far is Crawford State Park Heritage Site from Sandpoint?
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.