Hahns Peak Lookout is a fire lookout in Routt County, Colorado. It is part of Routt National Forest. The nearest town is Steamboat Springs, about 41 km (25 mi) away (Hahns Peak Lookout lies NNW of town).
Wikidata describes it as: “historic fire lookout”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hahns Peak Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:37 AM | 58° ENE | 8:44 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:29 AM | 121° ESE | 4:44 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 14m |
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 | 7:00 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 34m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 40m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:01 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:20 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 27m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 05m |
| July | 5:17 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 49m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 49m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 6:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 16m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Hahns Peak Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:25 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:36 AM – 5:46 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:36 AM – 4:46 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:32 AM – 3:52 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:48 PM – 3:28 AM | 4.7 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 1:59 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:51 PM – 12:01 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 10:02 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:00 PM – 8:00 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.86 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 37 | 34 | 60 | 67 | 81 | 87 | 88 | 85 | 82 | 73 | 58 | 45 |
| Low °F | -26 | -40 | -21 | -14 | 1 | 22 | 33 | 31 | 20 | -5 | -22 | -24 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 |
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
- 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.
- Shoot the tower itself against the Milky Way or star trails on clear, moonless nights.
- 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 Hahns Peak Lookout, closest first.
State Park
State Park
Wilderness Area
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Hahns Peak Lake Campground - Medicine-Bow Routt Nf (Co)5.1 km (3.1 mi) · reservable
- Hinman Campground (Co)13.2 km (8.2 mi) · reservable
- Seedhouse Guard Station15.2 km (9.5 mi) · reservable
- Seedhouse Campground15.4 km (9.6 mi) · reservable
- Seedhouse Group Site - Medicine-Bow Routt Nf (Co)18.2 km (11.3 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hahns Peak Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Hahns Peak Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hahns Peak Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hahns Peak Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hahns Peak Lookout?
How far is Hahns Peak Lookout from Steamboat 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.