Hager Mountain Lookout is a fire lookout in Lake County, Oregon. The nearest town is Altamont, about 106 km (66 mi) away (Hager Mountain Lookout lies NNE of town).
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hager Mountain Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:08 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:26 AM | 56° ENE | 8:48 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 122° ESE | 4:33 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 00m |
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 | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 22m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 39m |
| June | 4:50 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 03m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:40 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:16 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 02m |
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 Hager Mountain Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:45 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:49 AM – 4:29 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:51 AM – 3:31 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:04 PM – 3:04 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:51 PM – 1:41 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:57 PM – 11:37 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 9:43 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 23% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). July 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 | 59 | 61 | 72 | 79 | 89 | 95 | 102 | 97 | 95 | 87 | 71 | 55 |
| Low °F | -16 | -5 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 16 | 0 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.6 |
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.
- 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 Hager Mountain Lookout, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Lake
Mountain Pass
National ForestCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Hager Mountain Lookout5 m · reservable
- Duncan Reservoir Campground9.9 km (6.1 mi)
- Fremont Point Cabin23 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hager Mountain Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Hager Mountain Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hager Mountain Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hager Mountain Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hager Mountain Lookout?
How far is Hager Mountain Lookout from Altamont?
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.