Located in Delaware County, New York, Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower is a fire lookout. The nearest town is Walton, about 10.9 km (6.8 mi) away (Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower lies SW of town). It dates from 1934. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower, also known as the Rock Rift Fire Tower, is a historic fire observation station located in the Town of Tompkins, Delaware County, New York. The tower stands at the summit of Tower Mountain at an elevation of 2,376 ft (724 m) and rises above the Cannonsville Reservoir, part of New York City's extensive water supply system. It was built in 1934 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places # 100003231 in 2018. The Rock Rift Fire Tower is also listed on the National Historic Lookout Register of the Forest Fire Lookout Association. Its listing numbers are US 1183, NY 41. The tower was transferred to the Town of Tompkins from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in 2017. The land that the tower rests on is owned by New York City as part of their West of Hudson Watershed. The tower was decommissioned from active use in 1989.From the Wikipedia article “Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:26 AM | 57° ENE | 8:41 PM | 303° WNW | 71° | 15h 15m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:27 AM | 122° ESE | 4:33 PM | 239° WSW | 24° | 9h 06m |
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 | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 4:51 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 14m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 57m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:46 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:49 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:22 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:34 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:08 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 08m |
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 Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:41 AM – 5:31 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:33 AM – 4:33 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:42 AM – 3:42 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:51 PM – 3:11 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:41 PM – 1:51 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 11:50 PM | 2.0 | 18° | S → SW |
| September | 8:48 PM – 9:48 PM | 1.0 | 15° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.12 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 56% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (82%). 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 | 62 | 67 | 72 | 83 | 96 | 93 | 99 | 94 | 91 | 85 | 70 | 65 |
| Low °F | -14 | -20 | -9 | 8 | 25 | 33 | 44 | 44 | 33 | 19 | -7 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
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
- 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.
- Haze from wildfire smoke can turn the sun deep red but reduce visibility; check air quality.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
State Park
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower?
What time is golden hour at Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower?
How far is Rock Rift Fire Observation Tower from Walton?
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.