Bull of the Woods Lookout — a fire lookout in Marion County, Oregon — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Mount Hood National Forest. It sits roughly 34 km (21 mi) ENE of Mill City.
Wikidata describes it as: “historic fire lookout”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bull of the Woods Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:23 AM | 55° NE | 8:59 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 123° ESE | 4:31 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 47m |
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 | 7:11 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 10m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 27m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:45 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 35m |
| July | 5:01 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 16m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 05m |
| September | 6:19 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:25 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 35m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:29 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 48m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Bull of the Woods Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:12 AM – 5:32 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:11 AM – 4:31 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:09 AM – 3:19 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:30 PM – 2:40 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:13 PM – 1:23 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:11 PM – 11:21 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:01 PM – 9:21 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.53 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 July as the clearest month (about 28% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). August is the warmest month and December 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 | 68 | 73 | 86 | 97 | 98 | 106 | 103 | 98 | 87 | 78 | 61 |
| Low °F | 9 | 7 | 17 | 22 | 28 | 36 | 42 | 40 | 35 | 25 | 10 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.1 | 6.3 | 7.2 | 5.4 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 4.9 | 8.4 | 9.9 |
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Bull of the Woods Lookout, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Hot Spring
Waterfall
Wilderness Area
Ghost TownWaterfall
Hot Spring
Natural ArchHot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Elk Lake Campground7.4 km (4.6 mi)
- Elk Lake (Or)7.4 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
- Gold Butte Lookout8.9 km (5.5 mi) · reservable
- Kingfisher10.3 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- Fox Creek Group Camp11.9 km (7.4 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bull of the Woods Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Bull of the Woods Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bull of the Woods Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bull of the Woods Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bull of the Woods Lookout?
How far is Bull of the Woods Lookout from Mill City?
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.