Located in Custer County, South Dakota, Elk Mountain Lookout Tower is a fire lookout. The nearest town is Newcastle, about 19.6 km (12.2 mi) away (Elk Mountain Lookout Tower lies SE of town).
Wikidata describes it as: “fire lookout tower in western South Dakota”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Elk Mountain 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) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:15 AM | 56° NE | 8:42 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 123° ESE | 4:23 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 55m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:15 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 26m |
| July | 4:54 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:35 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:53 PM | 8h 57m |
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 Elk Mountain 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 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:48 AM – 5:28 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:44 AM – 4:24 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:48 AM – 3:18 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:03 PM – 2:43 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:50 PM – 1:30 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:53 PM – 11:23 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 9:26 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.9 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 July as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 64 | 69 | 80 | 87 | 96 | 107 | 108 | 104 | 101 | 90 | 76 | 65 |
| Low °F | -9 | -10 | -9 | 10 | 20 | 36 | 47 | 40 | 29 | 2 | -1 | -11 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Elk Mountain Lookout Tower, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Elk Mountain Lookout Tower?
What time is golden hour at Elk Mountain Lookout Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Elk Mountain Lookout Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Elk Mountain Lookout Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Elk Mountain Lookout Tower?
How far is Elk Mountain Lookout Tower from Newcastle?
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.