Dark Canyon Wilderness — a wilderness area in San Juan County, Utah — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Bears Ears National Monument. It sits roughly 40 km (25 mi) WNW of Blanding.
Dark Canyon Wilderness is a designated Wilderness Area in the heart of southeast Utah's canyon country, part of the Bears Ears National Monument. The wilderness is named for its high steep walls that narrow in the lower section so that they block the light in the morning and late afternoon. The roughly horseshoe-shaped wilderness is made up of the upper part of 40-mile-long (64 km) Dark Canyon and two major tributaries, Woodenshoe Canyon and Peavine Canyon in the Manti-La Sal National Forest. These canyons all descend from pine-covered Elk Ridge northeast of Natural Bridges National Monument. Dark Canyon continues west within a U.S. Bureau of Land Management primitive area that is recommended for wilderness designation. The last four miles (6.4 km) of the main canyon drop steeply through Glen Canyon National Recreation Area into Lake Powell. On December 28, 2016 President Barack...From the Wikipedia article “Dark Canyon Wilderness”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Dark Canyon Wilderness the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:24 AM | 90° E | 7:32 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:59 AM | 59° ENE | 8:46 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 47m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:08 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:32 AM | 120° ESE | 5:05 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 33m |
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 | 7:06 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:14 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:53 PM | 9h 50m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:23 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:26 PM | 10h 49m |
| March | 7:05 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:18 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:41 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 12m |
| June | 5:27 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:37 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 46m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:49 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 32m |
| August | 6:08 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 38m |
| September | 6:36 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:02 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:10 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:38 PM | 10h 09m |
| December | 6:59 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 34m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Dark Canyon Wilderness, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:18 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:25 AM – 5:55 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:29 AM – 5:09 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:28 AM – 4:18 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:39 PM – 3:59 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 2:32 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:52 PM – 12:32 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 10:28 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:11 PM – 8:31 PM | 0.3 | 13° | 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 32% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (56%). 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 | 64 | 66 | 80 | 84 | 98 | 103 | 105 | 102 | 100 | 88 | 75 | 61 |
| Low °F | -6 | -1 | 10 | 20 | 25 | 36 | 49 | 50 | 32 | 14 | 11 | -9 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.1 |
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
- 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.
- Pack weight matters: a single zoom and a light tripod cover most situations.
- 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 Dark Canyon Wilderness, closest first.
Natural Arch
Scenic ViewpointNatural ArchNatural Arch
Natural Arch
Natural ArchScenic ViewpointDark Sky PlaceNatural ArchCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Dark Canyon Wilderness?
What time is golden hour at Dark Canyon Wilderness?
Where does the sun rise and set at Dark Canyon Wilderness?
Can you see the Milky Way from Dark Canyon Wilderness?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Dark Canyon Wilderness?
How far is Dark Canyon Wilderness from Blanding?
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.