Paramore Crater is a volcano in Cochise County, Arizona at about 1,351 m (4,432 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 43 km (27 mi) ENE of Douglas.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Paramore Crater the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 82° in summer but only 35° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:21 AM | 90° E | 6:29 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 62° ENE | 7:25 PM | 299° WNW | 82° | 14h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:06 AM | 89° E | 6:15 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 117° ESE | 5:18 PM | 243° WSW | 35° | 10h 05m |
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
Volcanic cones and lava fields have strong shapes that read well in side-light; dark basalt needs careful exposure.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:51 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 19m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 05m |
| March | 6:03 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:00 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:25 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 5:24 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:11 PM | 12h 57m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:21 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:33 PM | 13h 46m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:52 PM | 14h 12m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:23 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:51 PM | 14h 01m |
| August | 5:17 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:27 PM | 13h 19m |
| September | 5:37 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:34 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:48 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 5:56 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:53 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:10 PM | 11h 25m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 33m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 06m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), 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 Paramore Crater, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 30° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:46 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 2:56 AM – 4:56 AM | 2.0 | 26° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:51 AM – 4:21 AM | 3.5 | 30° | SE → S |
| May | 10:50 PM – 3:40 AM | 4.8 | 30° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:03 PM – 3:33 AM | 6.5 | 30° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:00 PM – 2:00 AM | 5.0 | 30° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:29 PM – 11:59 PM | 3.5 | 30° | S → SW |
| September | 7:46 PM – 9:56 PM | 2.2 | 26° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:07 PM – 7:57 PM | 0.8 | 18° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 22% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (60%). June 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 | 74 | 83 | 86 | 94 | 105 | 108 | 108 | 103 | 99 | 94 | 85 | 76 |
| Low °F | 19 | 9 | 20 | 28 | 35 | 50 | 60 | 58 | 49 | 26 | 20 | 18 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 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 volcano
- Check local volcanic activity notices and area closures before visiting.
- Snow-capped volcanoes reflect alpenglow at sunrise — shoot from a lake or meadow for a reflection.
- Lava rock is sharp and unstable; stay on trails.
- Long lenses from 20–60 miles away make large stratovolcanoes dominate the horizon.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Summer for high trails; winter and spring for snowy cones viewed from below.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Tripod, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Paramore Crater, closest first.
Canyon
CanyonCanyon
National Wildlife RefugeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Paramore Crater?
What time is golden hour at Paramore Crater?
Where does the sun rise and set at Paramore Crater?
Can you see the Milky Way from Paramore Crater?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Paramore Crater?
How far is Paramore Crater from Douglas?
Sources
Location data: USGS GNIS / GeoNames. 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.