Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout is a fire lookout in Idaho County, Idaho. It is part of Salmon–Challis National Forest. It sits roughly 163 km (101 mi) WSW of Anaconda. It dates from 1934. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout, in Idaho County, Idaho, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. It is located at Butts Creek Point, about 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Salmon, in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. According to the Challis newspaper, it is located "at 7,836 feet elevation on a prominent knob surrounded by a forest of mixed lodgepole pine and fir with an understory of native grasses rooted in decomposed granite soils, forest Public Affairs Officer Amy Baumer said." "The lookout has four glass walls that provide a 360-degree view of some of the most remote landscapes in the lower 48. People can see the Clearwater Mountains, the Bitterroot Mountains, the Bighorn Crags and the Salmon River Mountains from the lookout." The tower was built from a kit taken to the site by a 10 mule string, and has a 14 by 14 feet (4.3 m × 4.3 m) cab....From the Wikipedia article “Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:43 AM | 90° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:52 AM | 55° NE | 8:31 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:27 AM | 89° E | 6:38 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 124° ESE | 3:59 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 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 | 6:42 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 07m |
| February | 6:11 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:37 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:15 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:23 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 4:35 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 53m |
| June | 4:13 AM | 4:51 AM | 5:37 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 39m |
| July | 4:30 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:50 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 19m |
| August | 5:09 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:20 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 5:49 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:26 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:23 AM | 3:26 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:42 PM | 9h 32m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:08 PM | 3:57 PM | 4:31 PM | 8h 45m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:44 AM – 5:04 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:43 AM – 4:03 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:42 AM – 2:52 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:04 PM – 2:14 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:47 PM – 12:57 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 10:53 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 8:53 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.93 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 34% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 43 | 47 | 63 | 72 | 82 | 89 | 98 | 94 | 89 | 81 | 63 | 42 |
| Low °F | -30 | -32 | -13 | 1 | 17 | 24 | 33 | 29 | 21 | -2 | -20 | -27 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.8 |
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 Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout?
How far is Butts Creek Point Fire Lookout from Anaconda?
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.