Hoodoo Ridge Lookout — a fire lookout in Wallowa County, Oregon — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Umatilla National Forest. It sits roughly 49 km (30 mi) NNE of Elgin. It dates from 1925. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Hoodoo Ridge Lookout is a historic fire lookout in the Umatilla National Forest (Walla Walla Ranger District) near Troy, Oregon, in the United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district on May 26, 2015. Built starting in 1925 and operating until the 1970s, the site served as a United States Forest Service fire lookout. The district includes three contributing buildings and two contributing structures. The site contains a 1925 crows nest, a 1933 lookout tower, a 1933 cabin and garage, and an outhouse that may have been contemporaneous.From the Wikipedia article “Hoodoo Ridge Lookout”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hoodoo Ridge Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:01 AM | 54° NE | 8:45 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 45m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:38 AM | 89° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:30 AM | 124° SE | 4:09 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 39m |
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 | 6:55 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:17 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 03m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 23m |
| March | 6:34 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 32m |
| May | 4:44 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 57m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 5:00 AM | 5:46 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 43m |
| July | 4:38 AM | 5:15 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 24m |
| August | 5:18 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:19 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 10m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:09 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:36 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:37 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 29m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:16 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:07 PM | 4:41 PM | 8h 40m |
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 Hoodoo Ridge Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:06 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:57 AM – 4:07 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:00 AM – 3:00 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:26 PM – 2:16 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:06 PM – 12:56 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:59 PM – 10:59 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 8:56 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.85 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 29% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 48 | 53 | 67 | 78 | 88 | 97 | 102 | 100 | 97 | 87 | 64 | 52 |
| Low °F | -14 | -9 | 5 | 16 | 23 | 29 | 36 | 36 | 26 | 11 | -3 | -11 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 3.5 |
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
- 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 Hoodoo Ridge Lookout, closest first.
Waterfall
Wilderness Area
State Park
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Godman Guard Station22 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Fry Meadows Guard Station25 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Wenatchee Guard Station26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Clearwater Big House28 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Clearwater Lookout Cabin29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hoodoo Ridge Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Hoodoo Ridge Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hoodoo Ridge Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hoodoo Ridge Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hoodoo Ridge Lookout?
How far is Hoodoo Ridge Lookout from Elgin?
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.