Located in Putnam County, New York, Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower is a fire lookout. It is part of Hudson Highlands State Park. It sits roughly 3.3 km (2.1 mi) SE of Beacon. It dates from 1931. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower is located on the summit of South Beacon Mountain in Beacon, New York, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.From the Wikipedia article “Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:23 AM | 57° ENE | 8:34 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 121° ESE | 4:30 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 10m |
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 | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 30m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 10m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 53m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 12m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:25 AM – 5:25 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:26 AM – 4:26 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:24 AM – 3:34 AM | 3.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:42 PM – 3:12 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 1:42 AM | 3.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 11:43 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:42 PM – 9:42 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:49 PM – 7:49 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.05 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (65%). 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 | 66 | 70 | 73 | 91 | 87 | 95 | 101 | 102 | 96 | 88 | 76 | 69 |
| Low °F | -16 | -15 | -8 | 18 | 30 | 38 | 49 | 50 | 37 | 21 | 6 | -2 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
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
- 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.
- Access roads may be rough or seasonal.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower, closest first.
Mountain Peak
State Park
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
State Park
Waterfall
State Park
State Park
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower?
What time is golden hour at Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower?
How far is Mt. Beacon Fire Observation Tower from Beacon?
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.