Located in Inyo County, California, Darwin Falls Wilderness is a wilderness area. The nearest town is Lone Pine, about 51 km (32 mi) away (Darwin Falls Wilderness lies SE of town).
The Darwin Falls Wilderness is a protected area in the northern Mojave Desert adjacent to Death Valley National Park. The 8,189-acre (3,314 ha) wilderness area was created by the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The wilderness includes portions of the Darwin Plateau and the Darwin Hills. Much of the higher elevations are Tertiary volcanic rocks while the lower elevations to the southeast in Darwin Canyon are dominated by Permian marine sedimentary and metasedimentary rock. Though the wilderness is traditionally considered to be within the northern Mojave Desert, some classifications acknowledge floristic affinities with the colder deserts to the north and consider this the Southeastern Great Basin Ecoregion. A desert scrub community is common in the wilderness with Joshua...From the Wikipedia article “Darwin Falls Wilderness”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Darwin Falls Wilderness the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:55 AM | 90° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 60° ENE | 8:12 PM | 300° WNW | 77° | 14h 38m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:39 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:59 AM | 119° ESE | 4:40 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 41m |
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 | 6:34 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:20 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 57m |
| February | 6:13 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:15 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:32 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 53m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:24 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:52 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 13h 07m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:19 PM | 14h 06m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 37m |
| July | 5:15 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 24m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 33m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:25 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:25 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:32 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 17m |
| November | 6:01 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:11 PM | 10h 15m |
| December | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 42m |
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 Darwin Falls Wilderness, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:38 AM – 5:08 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:53 AM – 5:33 AM | 1.7 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:45 AM – 4:35 AM | 2.8 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 11:51 PM – 4:01 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:00 PM – 3:40 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:54 PM – 2:14 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:17 PM – 12:07 AM | 2.8 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:26 PM – 10:06 PM | 1.7 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:41 PM – 8:11 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.83 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 21% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (48%). 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 | 76 | 78 | 86 | 93 | 103 | 111 | 110 | 110 | 105 | 96 | 82 | 72 |
| Low °F | 17 | 21 | 23 | 28 | 36 | 42 | 59 | 55 | 43 | 26 | 21 | 18 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.2 |
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
- Night skies are often among the darkest in the country.
- Motorized and mechanized equipment, including drones, is prohibited in designated wilderness.
- Group size limits and permits may apply; check with the managing agency.
- Practice Leave No Trace — camp on durable surfaces away from lakes and streams.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Darwin Falls Wilderness, closest first.
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
Canyon
Ghost Town
Sand Dunes
Natural Arch
Ghost Town
Ghost TownFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Darwin Falls Wilderness?
What time is golden hour at Darwin Falls Wilderness?
Where does the sun rise and set at Darwin Falls Wilderness?
Can you see the Milky Way from Darwin Falls Wilderness?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Darwin Falls Wilderness?
How far is Darwin Falls Wilderness from Lone 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.