Hershberger Mountain Lookout is a fire lookout in Jackson County, Oregon. It is part of Umpqua National Forest. It sits roughly 55 km (34 mi) NNE of Shady Cove. It dates from 1925. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hershberger Mountain Lookout is a lookout structure located near Prospect, Oregon, in the United States. It was built in 1925 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 29, 2000.From the Wikipedia article “Hershberger Mountain Lookout”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hershberger 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) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:31 AM | 56° ENE | 8:53 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 122° ESE | 4:39 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 | 7:08 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 22m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:15 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 39m |
| June | 4:55 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 03m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:45 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:33 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:21 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 01m |
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 Hershberger 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 2 (typical truly dark 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 | 4:51 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:55 AM – 4:35 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:57 AM – 3:37 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:10 PM – 3:10 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:57 PM – 1:47 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:03 PM – 11:43 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:59 PM – 9:49 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.87 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 25% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 64 | 64 | 70 | 78 | 87 | 94 | 103 | 99 | 96 | 86 | 74 | 58 |
| Low °F | 1 | -1 | 5 | 11 | 24 | 31 | 36 | 37 | 31 | 21 | 0 | -1 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.6 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 8.5 |
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
- 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.
- Shoot the tower itself against the Milky Way or star trails on clear, moonless nights.
- 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 Hershberger Mountain Lookout, closest first.
Wilderness Area
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Fire LookoutWaterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
Natural ArchNatural ArchCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Farewell Bend Campground13.2 km (8.2 mi) · reservable
- Union Creek Campground - Rogue River14.1 km (8.8 mi) · reservable
- Acker Rock Lookout15.7 km (9.7 mi) · reservable
- Jim Creek Group Campground19.3 km (12.0 mi) · reservable
- Ash Flat Campground23 km (14 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hershberger Mountain Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Hershberger Mountain Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hershberger Mountain Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hershberger Mountain Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hershberger Mountain Lookout?
How far is Hershberger Mountain Lookout from Shady Cove?
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.