Fort Rock is a volcano in Lake County, Oregon. It is part of Fort Rock State Natural Area. The nearest town is La Pine, about 48 km (30 mi) away (Fort Rock lies SE of town).
Fort Rock (Northern Paiute: amana baniʔi) is a tuff ring located on an ice age lake bed in north Lake County, Oregon, United States. The ring is about 4,460 feet (1,360 m) in diameter and stands about 200 feet (60 m) high above the surrounding plain. Its name is derived from the tall, straight sides that resemble the palisades of a fort. The region of Fort Rock–Christmas Lake Valley basin contains about 40 such tuff rings and maars and is located in the Brothers Fault Zone of central Oregon's Great Basin. William Sullivan, an early settler in the area, named Fort Rock in 1873 while searching for lost cattle. Prior to European settlement, the Northern Paiute called the formation amana baniʔi, which means "big cavity" (like on someone's chest).From the Wikipedia article “Fort Rock”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fort Rock 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) | 7:08 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 56° NE | 8:49 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 24m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 122° ESE | 4:32 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 57m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 20m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 41m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 23m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:18 PM | 15h 05m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:41 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 43m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:17 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:02 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 Fort Rock, 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 | 4:46 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:50 AM – 4:30 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:33 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:06 PM – 2:56 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:53 PM – 1:43 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:58 PM – 11:38 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 9:33 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 ≈ 21.9 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 July as the clearest month (about 23% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 72 | 79 | 89 | 95 | 102 | 97 | 95 | 87 | 71 | 55 |
| Low °F | -16 | -5 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 16 | 0 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 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 volcano
- 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.
- Check local volcanic activity notices and area closures before visiting.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Fort Rock, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fort Rock?
What time is golden hour at Fort Rock?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fort Rock?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fort Rock?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fort Rock?
How far is Fort Rock from La Pine?
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.