Big Hill Fire Lookout Tower — a fire lookout in Marion County, Tennessee — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Jasper, about 9.7 km (6.0 mi) away (Big Hill Fire Lookout Tower lies NNW of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Big Hill Fire Lookout Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:47 AM | 90° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:29 AM | 60° ENE | 8:01 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:31 AM | 89° E | 6:41 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:48 AM | 119° ESE | 4:35 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 47m |
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 | 6:24 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 03m |
| February | 6:04 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:05 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:52 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 6:29 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:45 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:41 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 5:12 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:08 PM | 14h 00m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:29 PM | 14h 31m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:27 PM | 14h 18m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 30m |
| September | 6:01 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:00 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:17 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:24 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:34 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 5:51 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:55 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:05 PM | 10h 20m |
| December | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 48m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Big Hill Fire Lookout Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:31 AM – 5:01 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:35 AM – 5:25 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:35 AM – 4:35 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:40 PM – 3:50 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:47 PM – 3:37 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:43 PM – 2:13 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:06 PM – 12:06 AM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:17 PM – 10:07 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:34 PM – 8:14 PM | 0.7 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.21 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (68%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 69 | 73 | 81 | 83 | 92 | 107 | 104 | 104 | 99 | 98 | 84 | 72 |
| Low °F | 2 | -5 | 13 | 22 | 33 | 47 | 53 | 51 | 39 | 26 | 12 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.3 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 5.4 |
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.
- 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 Big Hill Fire Lookout Tower, closest first.
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When is the best time to photograph Big Hill Fire Lookout Tower?
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How far is Big Hill Fire Lookout Tower from Jasper?
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.