Located in Maricopa County, Arizona, Hummingbird Springs Wilderness is a wilderness area. The nearest town is Wickenburg, about 46 km (29 mi) away (Hummingbird Springs Wilderness lies SW of town).
The Hummingbird Springs Wilderness is a 31,200-acre (12,626 ha) wilderness administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The wilderness is located in the northwest of Maricopa County in northern regions of the central Sonoran Desert of Arizona. The wilderness is located at the northwest end of the Belmont Mountains; the southwest border of the wilderness is the northeast border of the Big Horn Mountains Wilderness, of the Big Horn Mountains (Arizona); this two-mountain region lies at the north and northwest of the small Tonopah Desert, a desert plains region. The northwest of both mountain ranges drain northwest into Tiger Wash, in the upper-central region of a southeast flowing Centennial Wash, a tributary to the Gila River in central, lower elevation desert Arizona. Sugarloaf Mountain (Arizona) is the highest elevation of the Hummingbird Springs Wilderness and the Belmont...From the Wikipedia article “Hummingbird Springs Wilderness”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hummingbird Springs Wilderness 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 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:37 AM | 90° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:23 AM | 61° ENE | 7:47 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:21 AM | 89° E | 6:31 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 118° ESE | 5:29 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 55m |
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
Wilderness areas reward those who camp: being on location at sunrise and in the dark is the main advantage over day visitors.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:11 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 6:52 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 6:19 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:37 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:29 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:05 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 4:53 AM | 5:22 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:14 PM | 14h 23m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:13 PM | 14h 11m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:29 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:47 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 5:52 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:05 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:25 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 25m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:54 PM | 9h 56m |
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 Hummingbird Springs Wilderness, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:11 AM – 5:51 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:13 AM – 5:13 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:21 AM – 4:31 AM | 3.2 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 11:23 PM – 3:53 AM | 4.5 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:29 PM – 3:29 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:25 PM – 2:05 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:51 PM – 12:01 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:04 PM – 10:04 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:22 PM – 8:02 PM | 0.7 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.44 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 16% 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 | 85 | 88 | 96 | 102 | 112 | 120 | 118 | 116 | 114 | 105 | 94 | 82 |
| Low °F | 23 | 22 | 32 | 37 | 45 | 58 | 65 | 63 | 53 | 38 | 28 | 26 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
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 wilderness area
- Practice Leave No Trace — camp on durable surfaces away from lakes and streams.
- Pack weight matters: a single zoom and a light tripod cover most situations.
- Night skies are often among the darkest in the country.
- Motorized and mechanized equipment, including drones, is prohibited in designated wilderness.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Most high wilderness is snow-free from July to September; lower deserts are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Lightweight tripod, Spare batteries, Headlamp, Navigation. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Hummingbird Springs Wilderness, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Natural ArchNatural ArchNatural Arch
Ghost TownNatural ArchNatural Arch
Wilderness AreaFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hummingbird Springs Wilderness?
What time is golden hour at Hummingbird Springs Wilderness?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hummingbird Springs Wilderness?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hummingbird Springs Wilderness?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hummingbird Springs Wilderness?
How far is Hummingbird Springs Wilderness from Wickenburg?
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.