Located in Otero County, New Mexico, Weed Lookout Tower is a fire lookout. It is part of Lincoln National Forest. The nearest town is Alamogordo, about 39 km (24 mi) away (Weed Lookout Tower lies ESE of town). Its recorded tower height is about 48 m (157 ft). It dates from 1926. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Weed Lookout Tower, in Lincoln National Forest in Otero County, New Mexico near Sacramento, New Mexico, was built in 1926. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. photos onlyFrom the Wikipedia article “Weed Lookout Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Weed Lookout Tower 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 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:07 AM | 90° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:55 AM | 61° ENE | 8:14 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:02 AM | 118° ESE | 5:01 PM | 242° WSW | 34° | 9h 59m |
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 | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 14m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:20 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:13 PM | 11h 02m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:08 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:33 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 59m |
| May | 5:37 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 51m |
| June | 5:26 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 18m |
| July | 5:38 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 07m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 22m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:28 PM | 10h 29m |
| December | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:21 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:26 PM | 10h 00m |
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 Weed Lookout Tower, 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 | 4:31 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:42 AM – 5:42 AM | 2.0 | 25° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:38 AM – 4:58 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:39 PM – 4:19 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:54 PM – 4:04 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:50 PM – 2:40 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:18 PM – 12:38 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 10:43 PM | 2.2 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:52 PM – 8:42 PM | 0.8 | 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 ≈ 21.86 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 31% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (51%). 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 | 68 | 75 | 83 | 91 | 98 | 104 | 104 | 101 | 97 | 89 | 77 | 69 |
| Low °F | 15 | 1 | 16 | 25 | 31 | 49 | 54 | 51 | 42 | 19 | 19 | 15 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 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.
- 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 Weed Lookout Tower, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Black Bear Group Area21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Sleepy Grass22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Deerhead Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Lower Fir Group Area23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Upper Fir Group Area23 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Weed Lookout Tower?
What time is golden hour at Weed Lookout Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Weed Lookout Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Weed Lookout Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Weed Lookout Tower?
How far is Weed Lookout Tower from Alamogordo?
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.