Poker Jim Butte Fire Lookout is a fire lookout in Rosebud County, Montana. It is part of Custer National Forest. The nearest town is Lame Deer, about 41 km (25 mi) away (Poker Jim Butte Fire Lookout lies SE of town). It dates from 1955. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wikidata describes it as: “historic fire lookout”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Poker Jim Butte 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) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:18 AM | 55° NE | 8:58 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:43 AM | 124° ESE | 4:26 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 | 7:09 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:29 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 07m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 53m |
| June | 4:40 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:03 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 38m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 19m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:33 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:50 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 32m |
| December | 7:05 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:28 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:58 PM | 8h 45m |
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 Poker Jim Butte 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 | 5:10 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:09 AM – 4:29 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:08 AM – 3:18 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:30 PM – 2:40 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:13 PM – 1:23 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:09 PM – 11:19 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:59 PM – 9:19 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 40% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (70%). July is the warmest month and December 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 | 67 | 69 | 82 | 88 | 96 | 106 | 110 | 106 | 100 | 92 | 76 | 63 |
| Low °F | -15 | -12 | -18 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 46 | 41 | 28 | 4 | -7 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Poker Jim Butte Fire Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Poker Jim Butte Fire Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Poker Jim Butte Fire Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Poker Jim Butte Fire Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Poker Jim Butte Fire Lookout?
How far is Poker Jim Butte Fire Lookout from Lame Deer?
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.