Located in Custer County, South Dakota, Black Elk Peak Lookout Tower is a fire lookout. It is part of Black Hills National Forest. The nearest town is Custer, about 12.3 km (7.6 mi) away (Black Elk Peak Lookout Tower lies NNE of town). Its recorded tower height is about 36 m (118 ft). It dates from 1938. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wikidata describes it as: “historic fire lookout in South Dakota”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Black Elk Peak Lookout Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:58 AM | 90° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 56° NE | 8:41 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 123° ESE | 4:20 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 54m |
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 | 6:54 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:22 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 44m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:56 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:28 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:51 PM | 8h 56m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Black Elk Peak Lookout Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:46 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:42 AM – 4:22 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:46 AM – 3:16 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:01 PM – 2:41 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:48 PM – 1:28 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:51 PM – 11:21 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:24 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.8 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 63 | 69 | 79 | 87 | 95 | 106 | 108 | 104 | 101 | 89 | 76 | 64 |
| Low °F | -10 | -12 | -9 | 8 | 20 | 36 | 46 | 40 | 28 | 2 | -2 | -13 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
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 Black Elk Peak Lookout Tower, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Natural Arch
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Fire LookoutCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Willow Creek Horse Camp4.1 km (2.6 mi) · reservable
- Horsethief Lake Campground5.0 km (3.1 mi) · reservable
- Oreville Campground6.8 km (4.2 mi) · reservable
- Iron Creek Horse Camp7.0 km (4.4 mi) · reservable
- Grizzly Bear Campground8.0 km (4.9 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Black Elk Peak Lookout Tower?
What time is golden hour at Black Elk Peak Lookout Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Black Elk Peak Lookout Tower?
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Do you need a permit to photograph at Black Elk Peak Lookout Tower?
How far is Black Elk Peak Lookout Tower from Custer?
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.