Ute Mountain Fire Tower — a fire lookout in Daggett County, Utah — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Ashley National Forest. The nearest town is Maeser, about 47 km (29 mi) away (Ute Mountain Fire Tower lies NNW of town). It dates from 1937. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Ute Mountain Fire Tower is a fire lookout tower in the Ashley National Forest in western Daggett County, Utah, United States, southwest of Manila, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.From the Wikipedia article “Ute Mountain Fire Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ute Mountain Fire Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:23 AM | 90° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:48 AM | 58° ENE | 8:55 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:07 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:41 AM | 121° ESE | 4:55 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 14m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 34m |
| February | 6:46 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 40m |
| March | 7:04 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:12 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:31 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 28m |
| June | 5:14 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:29 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 06m |
| July | 5:28 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:23 PM | 14h 50m |
| August | 6:01 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 49m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:21 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 15m |
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 Ute Mountain Fire Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:36 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:47 AM – 5:57 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:47 AM – 4:57 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:43 AM – 4:03 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:59 PM – 3:39 AM | 4.7 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:50 PM – 2:10 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 10:02 PM – 12:12 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 10:13 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:11 PM – 8:11 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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 7.5+ 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 38% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (69%). 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 | 54 | 61 | 73 | 81 | 94 | 97 | 101 | 98 | 95 | 81 | 67 | 53 |
| Low °F | -15 | -11 | 1 | 14 | 20 | 31 | 44 | 39 | 28 | 2 | -1 | -11 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Ute Mountain Fire Tower, closest first.
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Browne Lake Group Sites1.6 km (1.0 mi) · reservable
- Summit Springs Guard Station4.0 km (2.5 mi) · reservable
- Navajo Cliffs8.6 km (5.3 mi) · reservable
- Willows Campground8.8 km (5.5 mi)
- Carter Military Trail Yurt9.4 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ute Mountain Fire Tower?
What time is golden hour at Ute Mountain Fire Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ute Mountain Fire Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ute Mountain Fire Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ute Mountain Fire Tower?
How far is Ute Mountain Fire Tower from Maeser?
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.