Santa Rosa Wilderness is a wilderness area in Riverside County, California. The nearest town is Vista Santa Rosa, about 15.6 km (9.7 mi) away (Santa Rosa Wilderness lies SW of town).
The Santa Rosa Wilderness is a 72,259-acre (292.42 km2) wilderness area in Southern California, in the Santa Rosa Mountains of Riverside and San Diego counties, California. It is in the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert, above the Coachella Valley and Lower Colorado River Valley regions in a Peninsular Range, between La Quinta to the north and Anza Borrego Desert State Park to the south. The United States Congress established the wilderness in 1984 with the passage of the California Wilderness Act (Public Law 98-425), managed by both the US Forest Service (San Bernardino National Forest, 13,801 acres) and the Bureau of Land Management (58,458 acres ). In 2009, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (P.L. 111–11) was signed into law which added more than 2,000 acres (8.1 km2). Most of the Santa Rosa Wilderness is within the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.From the Wikipedia article “Santa Rosa Wilderness”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Santa Rosa 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) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:37 AM | 61° ENE | 7:59 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:43 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:46 AM | 118° ESE | 4:42 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 56m |
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 | 6:23 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 6:05 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:05 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:56 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:42 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:18 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 5:07 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:26 PM | 14h 22m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 10m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:33 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:18 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:26 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 5:51 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:54 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:10 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 57m |
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 Santa Rosa Wilderness, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° 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 | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:24 AM – 5:04 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:26 AM – 5:26 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:23 AM – 4:43 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:25 PM – 4:05 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:40 PM – 3:50 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:36 PM – 2:26 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:03 PM – 12:23 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:17 PM – 10:17 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:35 PM – 8:15 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: 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 ≈ 20.65 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 15% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (41%). 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 | 84 | 90 | 94 | 100 | 109 | 117 | 118 | 115 | 115 | 104 | 92 | 82 |
| Low °F | 26 | 28 | 33 | 37 | 42 | 48 | 59 | 56 | 48 | 40 | 30 | 28 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.3 |
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 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 Santa Rosa Wilderness, closest first.
Canyon
National Forest
Mountain Peak
Scenic Viewpoint
Botanical Garden
Canyon
Waterfall
Botanical Garden
Dark Sky PlaceCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Ribbonwood Equestrian Cg14.4 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
- Pinyon Flat Campground (San Bernardino National Forest)15.0 km (9.3 mi) · reservable
- Pinyon Flat Campground15.0 km (9.3 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Santa Rosa Wilderness?
What time is golden hour at Santa Rosa Wilderness?
Where does the sun rise and set at Santa Rosa Wilderness?
Can you see the Milky Way from Santa Rosa Wilderness?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Santa Rosa Wilderness?
How far is Santa Rosa Wilderness from Vista Santa Rosa?
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.