Crack in the Ground is a volcano in Lake County, Oregon. The nearest town is Deschutes River Woods, about 93 km (58 mi) away (Crack in the Ground lies SE of town).
Crack in the Ground is a volcanic fissure about 2 miles (3.2 km) long with depths measuring nearly 30 feet (9 m) below ground level in Central Oregon, United States. The formation of the fissure occurred approximately between 700,000 and 12,000 years ago. The eruptions from the Four Craters Lava Field were accompanied by a slight sinking of the older rock surface, forming a shallow, graben-like structure about 2 miles (3.2 km) wide and extending to the south into an old lake basin. Crack in the Ground marks the western edge of this small, volcano-tectonic depression. The crack is the result of a tension fracture along a hingeline produced by the draping of Green Mountain lava flows over the edge of upthrown side of the concealed fault zone. The fissure is located at the southwest corner of Four Craters Lava Field. Hikers can walk the length of the main crack and explore its tributaries.From the Wikipedia article “Crack in the Ground”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Crack in the Ground the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:07 AM | 90° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:23 AM | 56° NE | 8:47 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 24m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 122° ESE | 4:30 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 58m |
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 | 7:01 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 20m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 41m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:06 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 23m |
| July | 5:02 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 05m |
| August | 5:38 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:38 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:43 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:40 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 43m |
| December | 6:56 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:16 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:01 PM | 8h 59m |
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 Crack in the Ground, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:45 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:49 AM – 4:29 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:52 AM – 3:32 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:05 PM – 2:55 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:52 PM – 1:42 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:57 PM – 11:37 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 9:32 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 6.5+ 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 23% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (73%). 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 | 59 | 61 | 75 | 81 | 91 | 97 | 103 | 99 | 98 | 87 | 71 | 57 |
| Low °F | -14 | -3 | 13 | 20 | 22 | 28 | 38 | 37 | 29 | 15 | 2 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.3 |
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
- Long lenses from 20–60 miles away make large stratovolcanoes dominate the horizon.
- 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.
- 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 Crack in the Ground, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Crack in the Ground?
What time is golden hour at Crack in the Ground?
Where does the sun rise and set at Crack in the Ground?
Can you see the Milky Way from Crack in the Ground?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Crack in the Ground?
How far is Crack in the Ground from Deschutes River Woods?
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.