Located in Monterey County, California, Ventana Wilderness is a wilderness area. The nearest town is Big Sur, about 12.8 km (8.0 mi) away (Ventana Wilderness lies E of town).
The Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest is a federally designated wilderness area located in the Santa Lucia Range along the Central Coast of California. This wilderness was established in 1969 when the Ventana Wilderness Act redesignated the 87.2-square-mile (226-square-kilometer) Ventana Primitive Area as the Ventana Wilderness and added land, totalling 153 mi2 (400 km2). In 1978, the Endangered American Wilderness Act added 95 mi2 (250 km2), increasing the total wilderness area to about 248 mi2 (640 km2). The California Wilderness Act of 1984 added about 4.3 mi2 (11 km2). The Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act of 1992 created the approximately 23-square-mile (60-square-kilometer) Silver Peak Wilderness and added about 60.6 mi2 (157 km2) to the Ventana Wilderness in addition to designating the Big Sur River as a Wild and Scenic River. The Big Sur...From the Wikipedia article “Ventana Wilderness”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ventana 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) | 7:11 AM | 90° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 60° ENE | 8:28 PM | 300° WNW | 77° | 14h 38m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 119° ESE | 4:56 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 | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 58m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:31 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 53m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 07m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 05m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 37m |
| July | 5:32 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 24m |
| August | 5:58 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 33m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 15m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:23 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 Ventana 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 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 | 4:55 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:10 AM – 5:50 AM | 1.7 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:02 AM – 4:52 AM | 2.8 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:08 AM – 4:18 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:17 PM – 3:57 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:11 PM – 2:31 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:34 PM – 12:24 AM | 2.8 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 10:23 PM | 1.7 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:58 PM – 8:28 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.41 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 26% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (49%). 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 | 80 | 77 | 83 | 92 | 103 | 108 | 113 | 110 | 113 | 102 | 90 | 77 |
| Low °F | 20 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 37 | 42 | 47 | 48 | 44 | 36 | 27 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 4.1 |
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 Ventana Wilderness, closest first.
Waterfall
State Park
Waterfall
Scenic ViewpointWaterfall
State Park
Canyon
Hot Spring
Fire LookoutCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- China Camp Campground10.3 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- White Oaks Campground11.9 km (7.4 mi) · reservable
- Arroyo Seco Group Campground16.5 km (10.2 mi)
- Arroyo Seco16.9 km (10.5 mi) · reservable
- Escondido Campground19.7 km (12.3 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ventana Wilderness?
What time is golden hour at Ventana Wilderness?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ventana Wilderness?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ventana Wilderness?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ventana Wilderness?
How far is Ventana Wilderness from Big Sur?
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.