Monjeau Lookout is a fire lookout in Lincoln County, New Mexico. It is part of Lincoln National Forest. It sits roughly 12.3 km (7.6 mi) NNW of Ruidoso. It dates from 1940. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Monjeau Lookout was completed in 1940 by the Civilian Conservation Corps to serve as a fire lookout tower within Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico, United States, and remains in active use as a destination for forest visitors. The structure is a 14-by-14-foot (4.3 m × 4.3 m) native stone tower which contains living quarters, and is topped with a 7 ft × 7 ft (2.1 m × 2.1 m) metal-frame cab. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Places. Monjeau Lookout is reached via a 5.5 miles (8.9 km) National Forest gravel road, north of Ruidoso, New Mexico. There are three parking and camping areas a mile or two below the Lookout. The last mile or so of NF117 going up to the Monjeau Lookout is sometimes closed. When that is the case, no vehicle traffic goes to the top and the restroom at the top may also be...From the Wikipedia article “Monjeau Lookout”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Monjeau Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:07 AM | 90° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:54 AM | 61° ENE | 8:17 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:04 AM | 118° ESE | 5:00 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 56m |
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 | 6:41 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 11m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:14 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:08 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:34 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:36 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 53m |
| June | 5:25 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 21m |
| July | 5:36 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 10m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:36 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:42 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:28 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 6:33 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:20 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 57m |
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 Monjeau Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:42 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:44 AM – 5:44 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:41 AM – 5:01 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:43 PM – 4:23 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:58 PM – 4:08 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:54 PM – 2:44 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:21 PM – 12:41 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 10:35 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:53 PM – 8:33 PM | 0.7 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.73 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 32% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (53%). 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 | 64 | 71 | 81 | 87 | 96 | 101 | 101 | 97 | 93 | 87 | 76 | 65 |
| Low °F | 9 | -6 | 11 | 22 | 26 | 42 | 51 | 49 | 36 | 15 | 15 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Monjeau Lookout, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Scenic Viewpoint
Fire Lookout
State Park
CaveCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Cedar Creek (Sam Tobias)8.9 km (5.5 mi) · reservable
- Rob Jagger'S Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Monjeau Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Monjeau Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Monjeau Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Monjeau Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Monjeau Lookout?
How far is Monjeau Lookout from Ruidoso?
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.