Located in Coconino County, Arizona, Thornton Lookout Tower is a fire lookout. It sits roughly 49 km (30 mi) NE of Peach Springs.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Thornton Lookout Tower 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 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:37 AM | 90° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 60° ENE | 7:53 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:21 AM | 89° E | 6:31 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 119° ESE | 5:23 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 43m |
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 | 7:15 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 00m |
| February | 6:54 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 6:18 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:06 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:33 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:32 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:00 PM | 14h 04m |
| June | 4:46 AM | 5:16 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 14h 35m |
| July | 4:59 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:19 PM | 14h 22m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:27 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:51 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 5:50 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:07 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:14 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:14 AM | 5:23 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:24 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:47 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 17m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 45m |
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 Thornton Lookout Tower, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:20 AM – 5:50 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:25 AM – 5:15 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:26 AM – 4:26 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 11:31 PM – 3:41 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:39 PM – 3:19 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:34 PM – 1:54 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:57 PM – 11:57 PM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:07 PM – 9:57 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:23 PM – 7:53 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.88 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 20% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (47%). 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 | 75 | 77 | 87 | 92 | 102 | 109 | 109 | 107 | 105 | 96 | 85 | 73 |
| Low °F | 11 | 16 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 46 | 58 | 53 | 41 | 23 | 20 | 16 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 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
- 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.
- Access roads may be rough or seasonal.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Thornton Lookout Tower, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Thornton Lookout Tower?
What time is golden hour at Thornton Lookout Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Thornton Lookout Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Thornton Lookout Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Thornton Lookout Tower?
How far is Thornton Lookout Tower from Peach Springs?
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.