Atascosa Lookout House — a fire lookout in Santa Cruz County, Arizona — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Coronado National Forest. It sits roughly 17.1 km (10.6 mi) WSW of Rio Rico. It dates from 1933. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Atascosa Lookout House was a groundhouse and fire lookout in the Coronado National Forest in Arizona, United States. It was constructed between 1930 and 1933, and was destroyed in a fire on June 6, 2011. The structure was designated as a National Historic Lookout on December 30, 1996, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The lookout house had dimensions of 14 by 14 feet (4.3 by 4.3 meters) and was situated at an elevation of 6,235 feet (1,900 m). It had a custom hip roof with a 2-foot (0.61 m) overhang and included gutters for a cistern. The house was located at N 31.420680° W 111.146708° and was enclosed by a square boundary measuring 60 by 60 feet (18 by 18 m).From the Wikipedia article “Atascosa Lookout House”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Atascosa Lookout House the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 82° in summer but only 35° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:29 AM | 90° E | 6:37 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:21 AM | 62° ENE | 7:33 PM | 298° WNW | 82° | 14h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:14 AM | 89° E | 6:23 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 117° ESE | 5:26 PM | 243° WSW | 35° | 10h 06m |
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
Lookouts are built for 360° views, so sunrise and sunset are both options — use the azimuths to decide which view you want.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:59 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 20m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 05m |
| March | 6:11 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:33 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 5:32 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:29 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:18 PM | 12h 57m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:41 PM | 13h 45m |
| June | 4:52 AM | 5:20 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:59 PM | 14h 11m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:59 PM | 14h 00m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:35 PM | 13h 18m |
| September | 5:45 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:56 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 6:04 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:01 AM | 5:21 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:18 PM | 11h 26m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 34m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 07m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), 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 Atascosa Lookout House, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 30° 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 | 4:54 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:04 AM – 5:04 AM | 2.0 | 26° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:59 AM – 4:29 AM | 3.5 | 30° | SE → S |
| May | 10:58 PM – 3:48 AM | 4.8 | 30° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:11 PM – 3:41 AM | 6.5 | 30° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:08 PM – 2:08 AM | 5.0 | 30° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:37 PM – 12:07 AM | 3.5 | 30° | S → SW |
| September | 7:54 PM – 10:04 PM | 2.2 | 26° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:15 PM – 8:05 PM | 0.8 | 18° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.56 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 17% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (56%). June 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 | 85 | 91 | 98 | 106 | 111 | 108 | 105 | 104 | 100 | 90 | 82 |
| Low °F | 19 | 15 | 27 | 32 | 39 | 53 | 59 | 61 | 51 | 33 | 23 | 22 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
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 fire lookout
- Access roads may be rough or seasonal.
- Some lookouts can be rented overnight through recreation.gov, which puts you on site for both sunset and sunrise.
- Shoot the tower itself against the Milky Way or star trails on clear, moonless nights.
- Haze from wildfire smoke can turn the sun deep red but reduce visibility; check air quality.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Summer and early autumn; many towers are staffed only during fire season.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Warm layers. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Atascosa Lookout House, closest first.
Natural Arch
Wilderness Area
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Dark Sky Place
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Atascosa Lookout House?
What time is golden hour at Atascosa Lookout House?
Where does the sun rise and set at Atascosa Lookout House?
Can you see the Milky Way from Atascosa Lookout House?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Atascosa Lookout House?
How far is Atascosa Lookout House from Rio Rico?
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.