Camas National Wildlife Refuge — a national wildlife refuge in Jefferson County, Idaho — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Rexburg, about 39 km (24 mi) away (Camas National Wildlife Refuge lies WNW of town).
About half of the Camas National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Idaho consists of lakes, ponds, and marshlands; the remainder is grass sagebrush uplands, meadows, and farm fields. Camas Creek flows through the length of the refuge. Mammal species that inhabit this refuge are coyote, pronghorn, moose, elk, porcupine, white-tailed deer, cottontail rabbit, muskrat, and weasel. Water management is a critical component of Camas Refuge operations. An extensive system of canals, dikes, wells, ponds, and water-control structures is used to manipulate water for the benefit of wildlife, with an emphasis on nesting waterfowl. Haying and prescribed fire are used to manipulate vegetation in some fields, and small grain crops are grown to provide supplemental feed for geese and cranes and to keep them from damaging private croplands.From the Wikipedia article “Camas National Wildlife Refuge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Camas National Wildlife Refuge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:33 AM | 90° E | 7:42 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:47 AM | 56° NE | 9:16 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:17 AM | 89° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:01 AM | 123° ESE | 4:55 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 53m |
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
Wildlife is most active in the first and last two hours of daylight — exactly when the light is warmest.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:29 AM | 8:01 AM | 8:46 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:59 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:29 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:20 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:43 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:31 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:46 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 5:10 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:31 AM | 8:30 PM | 9:14 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 5:26 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:44 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 6:03 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:47 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:15 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:23 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 7:25 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:45 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:26 PM | 8h 55m |
Local time (America/Boise), 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 Camas National Wildlife Refuge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:22 AM – 6:02 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:18 AM – 4:58 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:23 AM – 3:53 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:39 PM – 3:19 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:25 PM – 1:55 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:27 PM – 11:57 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:20 PM – 9:50 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.87 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 33% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (75%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 55 | 54 | 71 | 84 | 96 | 101 | 105 | 103 | 98 | 87 | 70 | 54 |
| Low °F | -21 | -14 | 1 | 19 | 23 | 30 | 43 | 40 | 28 | 7 | -17 | -28 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.6 |
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 national wildlife refuge
- Fast shutter speeds (1/2000 s+) freeze wingbeats; raise ISO rather than lose the shot.
- Migration peaks bring the largest concentrations — see the birding calendar for this state.
- Use auto-loop roads as mobile blinds; animals often tolerate vehicles more than people on foot.
- Stay on designated routes and keep a respectful distance — if an animal changes behavior, you are too close.
- A 400–600 mm lens (or a crop body) is the usual tool for birds.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Spring and autumn migration are the highlights; winter brings waterfowl to many southern refuges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens (400 mm+), Bean bag for car window, Binoculars. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Launching or landing drones on National Wildlife Refuge lands generally requires a special use permit from the refuge manager, and wildlife disturbance rules apply everywhere.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Camas National Wildlife Refuge, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Hot Spring
Sand Dunes
VolcanoFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Camas National Wildlife Refuge?
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How far is Camas National Wildlife Refuge from Rexburg?
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.