Located in King County, Washington, Granite Mountain Lookout is a fire lookout. It is part of Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The nearest town is Tanner, about 21 km (13 mi) away (Granite Mountain Lookout lies ESE of town).
Wikidata describes it as: “historic fire lookout in Washington state”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Granite Mountain Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 53° NE | 9:07 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:51 AM | 125° SE | 4:18 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 27m |
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 | 7:15 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:17 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 06m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:57 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:13 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 16m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:52 PM | 8h 29m |
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 Granite Mountain Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| April | 3:40 AM – 4:20 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:39 AM – 2:59 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:10 AM – 2:00 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:41 PM – 1:01 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 10:53 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.06 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 36% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (76%). August 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 | 53 | 49 | 59 | 71 | 78 | 92 | 92 | 91 | 89 | 72 | 57 | 46 |
| Low °F | -16 | -11 | -4 | 6 | 20 | 28 | 36 | 35 | 27 | 5 | -10 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.9 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 10.3 | 9.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Granite Mountain Lookout, closest first.
Mountain Peak
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Lake
Mountain Peak
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Denny Creek Campground3.0 km (1.9 mi) · reservable
- Tinkham Campground6.7 km (4.2 mi) · reservable
- Middle Fork Campground15.3 km (9.5 mi) · reservable
- Kachess19.2 km (11.9 mi) · reservable
- East Kachess Group Site22 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Granite Mountain Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Granite Mountain Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Granite Mountain Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Granite Mountain Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Granite Mountain Lookout?
How far is Granite Mountain Lookout from Tanner?
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.