Pipkin — a volcano in San Bernardino County, California — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 42 km (26 mi) NE of Lucerne Valley.
Pipkin (also known as Malpais Crater) is a volcano in California, with activity during the Quaternary. The surface of erupted lava flows is weathered, and argon-argon dating and potassium-argon dating has yielded ages of 770,000 ± 40,000 and c. 600,000 years before present, respectively. The volcano lies in the Rodman Mountains. The 300 feet (91 m) high and 2,000 feet (610 m) wide Pipkin cinder cone probably erupted the lava flows which extend to its north and form a lava flow field which has the appearance of a mesa. The cone itself consists of lava bombs and scoria with red and black colours. Lava flows from the vent propagated through Kane Wash and into the Mojave River valley; it is possible that the lava diverted part of the wash into neighbouring Sheep Springs Wash. The cone is the site of a quarry. Pipkin was mined since the 1950s for its ash.From the Wikipedia article “Pipkin (volcano)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pipkin the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:51 AM | 90° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:35 AM | 61° ENE | 8:04 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:35 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:51 AM | 118° ESE | 4:40 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 50m |
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 | 6:27 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:21 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:26 PM | 10h 05m |
| February | 6:07 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:08 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 6:33 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 59m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 28m |
| July | 5:16 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 16m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:27 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 5:54 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:58 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:10 PM | 10h 21m |
| December | 6:19 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:26 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 51m |
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 Pipkin, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:24 AM – 5:04 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:38 AM – 5:28 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:37 AM – 4:37 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:41 PM – 4:01 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:48 PM – 3:38 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:43 PM – 2:13 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:08 PM – 12:18 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:20 PM – 10:10 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:36 PM – 8:16 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.17 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 14% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (39%). 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 | 85 | 91 | 99 | 108 | 114 | 114 | 113 | 112 | 100 | 88 | 79 |
| Low °F | 22 | 23 | 28 | 33 | 39 | 48 | 59 | 55 | 47 | 32 | 26 | 23 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Pipkin, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pipkin?
What time is golden hour at Pipkin?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pipkin?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pipkin?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pipkin?
How far is Pipkin from Lucerne 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.