Located in Howard County, Arkansas, Tall Peak Fire Tower is a fire lookout. It is part of Ouachita National Forest. The nearest town is Mena, about 29 km (18 mi) away (Tall Peak Fire Tower lies SE of town). It dates from 1938. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Tall Peak Fire Tower is a historic fire tower in Ouachita National Forest. It is located at the top of Tall Peak in the southwestern part of the national forest in Polk County, Arkansas. It is a fieldstone structure, built about 1938 by a crew of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and features the distinctive flared corners that typify CCC architecture. It is accessible via a forest service road off Polk County 64 (also known as Forest Service Road 38). The tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.From the Wikipedia article “Tall Peak Fire Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tall Peak Fire Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (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) | 7:21 AM | 90° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:05 AM | 61° ENE | 8:32 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:19 AM | 118° ESE | 5:11 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 51m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 06m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:26 PM | 10h 58m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:20 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 5:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 57m |
| June | 5:35 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 26m |
| July | 5:47 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 14m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 27m |
| September | 6:35 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:09 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 6:24 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:40 PM | 10h 23m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 52m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Tall Peak Fire Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° 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 | 4:54 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:08 AM – 5:58 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:06 AM – 5:06 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 12:10 AM – 4:30 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:16 PM – 4:16 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:12 PM – 2:52 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 12:47 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:49 PM – 10:49 PM | 2.0 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:06 PM – 8:46 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 ≈ 21.85 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 73 | 76 | 81 | 88 | 97 | 107 | 107 | 112 | 104 | 92 | 83 | 76 |
| Low °F | 0 | 2 | 10 | 25 | 34 | 52 | 55 | 54 | 43 | 28 | 17 | 9 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.2 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 6.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.5 |
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
- 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.
- Some lookouts can be rented overnight through recreation.gov, which puts you on site for both sunset and sunrise.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Tall Peak Fire Tower, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
Ghost TownWaterfall
State Park
National ForestCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Blue Ridge Park22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Star Of The West25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Little Coon Creek Park26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Big Coon Creek26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Cossatot Reefs26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tall Peak Fire Tower?
What time is golden hour at Tall Peak Fire Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tall Peak Fire Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tall Peak Fire Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tall Peak Fire Tower?
How far is Tall Peak Fire Tower from Mena?
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.