Hyde Mountain Lookout House is a fire lookout in Yavapai County, Arizona. It is part of Prescott National Forest. The nearest town is Williamson, about 38 km (24 mi) away (Hyde Mountain Lookout House lies WNW of town). It dates from 1936. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wikidata describes it as: “historic fire lookout”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hyde Mountain Lookout House the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:36 AM | 90° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 60° ENE | 7:49 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:20 AM | 89° E | 6:30 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:36 AM | 118° ESE | 5:25 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 49m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 04m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:41 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 6:18 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:30 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 59m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:19 AM | 5:56 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 14h 29m |
| July | 5:01 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:15 PM | 14h 16m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:27 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:48 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 5:50 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:05 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:12 AM | 5:24 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:24 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 21m |
| December | 7:05 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:51 PM | 9h 50m |
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 Hyde Mountain Lookout House, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:10 AM – 5:50 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:24 AM – 5:14 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:23 AM – 4:23 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:27 PM – 3:47 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:34 PM – 3:24 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:29 PM – 1:59 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:54 PM – 12:04 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:06 PM – 9:56 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:22 PM – 8:02 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.73 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 17% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (45%). 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 | 72 | 75 | 84 | 91 | 99 | 109 | 107 | 105 | 103 | 94 | 83 | 73 |
| Low °F | 2 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 33 | 43 | 54 | 50 | 40 | 25 | 20 | 7 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.4 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Hyde Mountain Lookout House, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hyde Mountain Lookout House?
What time is golden hour at Hyde Mountain Lookout House?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hyde Mountain Lookout House?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hyde Mountain Lookout House?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hyde Mountain Lookout House?
How far is Hyde Mountain Lookout House from Williamson?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata. 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.