Hickory Ridge Fire Tower — a fire lookout in Monroe County, Indiana — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Smithville-Sanders, about 16.6 km (10.3 mi) away (Hickory Ridge Fire Tower lies E of town). It dates from 1936.
The Hickory Ridge Fire Tower is a Fire lookout tower located in the Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area. It is an Aermotors type lookout tower. Construction of the tower began in 1936 under the auspices of the Civilian Conservation Corps. It is constructed of steel with a seven-foot square 'cab' on the top where the lookout was posted with various equipment including an alidade device used to help locate the location of fire outbreaks. As constructed, the tower included 123 wooden steps to provide access to the cab Following a refurbishment of the tower, the wooden steps were replaced. Today, there are 133 steel steps. Originally there was a cabin or guard station, a latrine, and a garage built on the site. All but the tower have now been removed.From the Wikipedia article “Hickory Ridge Fire Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hickory Ridge Fire Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:50 AM | 90° E | 7:57 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:21 AM | 59° ENE | 9:15 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:34 AM | 89° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:01 AM | 120° ESE | 5:27 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 25m |
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 | 7:34 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:44 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:16 PM | 9h 44m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 7:31 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:19 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 6:03 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 18m |
| June | 5:48 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:46 PM | 14h 54m |
| July | 6:01 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:42 PM | 14h 39m |
| August | 6:31 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:10 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 7:01 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:03 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:22 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:31 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 7:01 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 7:28 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:40 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:55 PM | 9h 27m |
Local time (America/Indiana/Indianapolis), 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 Hickory Ridge Fire Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:52 AM – 6:02 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 5:01 AM – 6:21 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:57 AM – 5:27 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:59 AM – 4:39 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 11:12 PM – 4:12 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 11:05 PM – 2:55 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:21 PM – 12:51 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 9:26 PM – 10:46 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:37 PM – 8:47 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.2 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ 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 45% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 65 | 72 | 81 | 82 | 88 | 105 | 105 | 100 | 99 | 92 | 78 | 69 |
| Low °F | -18 | -11 | 4 | 23 | 28 | 39 | 47 | 48 | 36 | 25 | 10 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
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.
- 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 Hickory Ridge Fire Tower, closest first.
Wilderness Area
State Park
Mountain Peak
Covered Bridge
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Blackwell Campground 6.2 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Hickory Ridge Campground6.9 km (4.3 mi) · reservable
- Hardin Ridge9.7 km (6.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hickory Ridge Fire Tower?
What time is golden hour at Hickory Ridge Fire Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hickory Ridge Fire Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hickory Ridge Fire Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hickory Ridge Fire Tower?
How far is Hickory Ridge Fire Tower from Smithville-Sanders?
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.