Fort Fred Steele State Historic Site — a state park in Carbon County, Wyoming — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 24 km (15 mi) E of Rawlins. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Fort Steele, also known as Fort Fred Steele, was established to protect the newly built Union Pacific Railroad from attacks by Native Americans during construction of the transcontinental railroad in the United States. The fort was built in 1868 where the railroad crossed the North Platte River in Carbon County, Wyoming. Work on the fort was carried out by military and civilian labor. Fort Steele was one of three forts built on the line. Fort Sanders (originally Fort John Buford) near Laramie and Fort D.A. Russell at Cheyenne were the other railroad forts. Fort Steele was named for the recently deceased General Frederick Steele.From the Wikipedia article “Fort Fred Steele State Historic Site”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fort Fred Steele State Historic Site the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 57° ENE | 8:47 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 13m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 122° ESE | 4:41 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 08m |
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 | 7:33 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 5:14 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:28 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 10m |
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 Fort Fred Steele State Historic Site, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:38 AM – 5:38 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:39 AM – 4:39 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:37 AM – 3:47 AM | 3.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| June | 10:56 PM – 3:16 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:46 PM – 1:56 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 11:55 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 9:54 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.9 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 43 | 46 | 65 | 72 | 85 | 90 | 91 | 88 | 87 | 74 | 61 | 49 |
| Low °F | -25 | -38 | -15 | -9 | 8 | 24 | 37 | 32 | 20 | -3 | -12 | -27 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
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 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 Fort Fred Steele State Historic Site, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
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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.