Bishop Mountain Lookout is a fire lookout in Fremont County, Idaho. It is part of Caribou–Targhee National Forest. It sits roughly 30 km (19 mi) NNW of Ashton. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Bishop Mountain Lookout, located near Island Park, Idaho, was created between 1936 and 1938 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and its cabin is currently available as reserved accommodations through the United States Forest Service.From the Wikipedia article “Bishop Mountain Lookout”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bishop Mountain Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:30 AM | 90° E | 7:39 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:43 AM | 55° NE | 9:15 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:14 AM | 89° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:00 AM | 123° ESE | 4:50 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 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 | 7:27 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:45 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 7:11 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:18 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:01 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 5:26 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 5:06 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:28 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 30m |
| July | 5:22 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:59 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:08 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:21 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:13 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:17 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 7:23 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:44 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:22 PM | 8h 52m |
Local time (America/Boise), 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 Bishop Mountain Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:19 AM – 5:59 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:16 AM – 4:46 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:22 AM – 3:52 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:39 PM – 3:09 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:24 PM – 1:54 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:25 PM – 11:55 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:18 PM – 9:48 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 32 | 33 | 54 | 69 | 79 | 86 | 96 | 94 | 87 | 76 | 58 | 37 |
| Low °F | -30 | -33 | -19 | -7 | 10 | 24 | 32 | 29 | 20 | -2 | -21 | -31 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Bishop Mountain Lookout, closest first.
Rock Formation
Waterfall
Waterfall
VolcanoCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Bishop Mountain Cabin26 m · reservable
- Riverside (Id - Targhee)10.6 km (6.6 mi) · reservable
- Box Canyon Campground13.9 km (8.6 mi)
- Buttermilk15.0 km (9.3 mi) · reservable
- Buffalo (Idaho)17.9 km (11.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bishop Mountain Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Bishop Mountain Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bishop Mountain Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bishop Mountain Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bishop Mountain Lookout?
How far is Bishop Mountain Lookout from Ashton?
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.