Salmon Mountain Lookout is a fire lookout in Idaho County, Idaho. It is part of Bitterroot National Forest. The nearest town is Orchard Homes, about 151 km (94 mi) away (Salmon Mountain Lookout lies SSW of town). It dates from 1949. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Salmon Mountain Lookout, on Salmon Mountain in the West Fork District of Bitterroot National Forest, near Darby, Idaho, was built in 1949. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. It is a 1936-pattern L-4 lookout. It is a volunteer-staffed lookout located in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, and it also overlooks the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness to the north. It is at elevation of 8,943 feet (2,726 m).From the Wikipedia article “Salmon Mountain Lookout”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Salmon Mountain Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) 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 | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:51 AM | 54° NE | 8:33 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:27 AM | 89° E | 6:39 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:18 AM | 124° SE | 3:59 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 41m |
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 | 6:44 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 05m |
| February | 6:12 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:37 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 6:23 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:15 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:23 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 4:34 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 55m |
| June | 4:12 AM | 4:50 AM | 5:36 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 41m |
| July | 4:29 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:50 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:03 PM | 15h 21m |
| August | 5:08 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:21 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 5:49 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:58 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:26 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:25 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:42 PM | 9h 30m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:07 PM | 3:57 PM | 4:31 PM | 8h 43m |
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 Salmon Mountain Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 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 | 2:44 AM – 3:54 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 12:44 AM – 2:54 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:07 PM – 2:07 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:50 PM – 12:50 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:45 PM – 10:55 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:34 PM – 8:54 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 ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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
- 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.
- Haze from wildfire smoke can turn the sun deep red but reduce visibility; check air quality.
- 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 Salmon Mountain Lookout, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
Hot Spring
Fire LookoutCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Horse Heaven Cabin6.2 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Wendover Campground12.8 km (8.0 mi)
- Magruder Rangers House13.3 km (8.3 mi) · reservable
- Paradise Campground28 km (18 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Salmon Mountain Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Salmon Mountain Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Salmon Mountain Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Salmon Mountain Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Salmon Mountain Lookout?
How far is Salmon Mountain Lookout from Orchard Homes?
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.