Mount Sterling Tower is a fire lookout in Haywood County, North Carolina. It lies in or next to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. It sits roughly 14.6 km (9.1 mi) NW of Cove Creek. Its recorded tower height is about 60 m (197 ft). It dates from 1933.
Wikidata describes it as: “historic fire lookout”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Sterling Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:37 AM | 90° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:18 AM | 60° ENE | 8:52 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:21 AM | 89° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 119° ESE | 5:23 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 44m |
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 | 7:15 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 00m |
| February | 6:54 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:41 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:18 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:06 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 6:00 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 03m |
| June | 5:47 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 34m |
| July | 5:59 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 21m |
| August | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:07 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:14 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:24 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:15 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 45m |
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 Mount Sterling Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:20 AM – 5:50 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:25 AM – 6:15 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:25 AM – 5:25 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:31 AM – 4:41 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:39 PM – 4:19 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:34 PM – 2:54 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:57 PM – 12:57 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 9:07 PM – 10:57 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:23 PM – 8:53 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.59 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and February 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 | 68 | 71 | 81 | 80 | 87 | 101 | 99 | 97 | 95 | 92 | 81 | 72 |
| Low °F | -3 | -1 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 42 | 48 | 47 | 36 | 23 | 12 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.4 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 5.3 |
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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Sterling Tower, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Fire LookoutMountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Big Creek Campground (Great Smoky Mountains National Park)5.4 km (3.4 mi) · reservable
- Big Creek Group Camp5.7 km (3.5 mi) · reservable
- Big Creek Horse Camp5.9 km (3.7 mi) · reservable
- Cataloochee Group Camp7.2 km (4.5 mi) · reservable
- Cataloochee Horse Camp8.2 km (5.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Sterling Tower?
What time is golden hour at Mount Sterling Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Sterling Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Sterling Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Sterling Tower?
How far is Mount Sterling Tower from Cove Creek?
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.