Located in Dutchess County, New York, Stissing Mountain Fire Tower is a fire lookout. It sits roughly 3.1 km (1.9 mi) WSW of Pine Plains.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Stissing Mountain Fire 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 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:59 AM | 90° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 57° ENE | 8:34 PM | 303° WNW | 71° | 15h 14m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:43 AM | 89° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 122° ESE | 4:27 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 07m |
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 | 8:04 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 28m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:53 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 33m |
| June | 4:45 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 13m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 56m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:27 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 09m |
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 Stissing Mountain Fire 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 | 4:35 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 4:27 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:36 AM – 3:36 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:45 PM – 3:05 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:35 PM – 1:45 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:44 PM – 11:44 PM | 2.0 | 18° | S → SW |
| September | 8:42 PM – 9:42 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 ≈ 20.57 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 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
- 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.
- 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 Stissing Mountain Fire Tower, closest first.
Lake
State Park
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakState Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Stissing Mountain Fire Tower?
What time is golden hour at Stissing Mountain Fire Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Stissing Mountain Fire Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Stissing Mountain Fire Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Stissing Mountain Fire Tower?
How far is Stissing Mountain Fire Tower from Pine Plains?
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.