Located in Snohomish County, Washington, Three Fingers Lookout is a fire lookout. It is part of Boulder River Wilderness. The nearest town is Darrington, about 11.5 km (7.1 mi) away (Three Fingers Lookout lies SW of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Three Fingers Lookout is a historic fire observation building on one of the summits of Three Fingers Mountain in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Snohomish County, Washington. Built in 1930 in an extremely challenging location, it is one of the oldest surviving observation posts in the forest. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and is now maintained by a local climbing group.From the Wikipedia article “Three Fingers Lookout”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Three Fingers Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 52° NE | 9:11 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:55 AM | 126° SE | 4:16 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 21m |
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 | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:16 PM | 8h 48m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:29 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:45 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 12m |
| June | 4:25 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:56 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:51 PM | 16h 03m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 41m |
| August | 5:28 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:52 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 15m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:45 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:51 PM | 8h 23m |
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 Three Fingers Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:44 AM – 4:14 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:48 AM – 2:48 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:33 AM – 1:33 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:54 PM – 12:44 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:29 PM – 10:49 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.17 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 November 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 | 47 | 50 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 86 | 76 | 55 | 41 |
| Low °F | -20 | -17 | -12 | 1 | 16 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 24 | -2 | -17 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 7.2 | 10.7 | 9.1 |
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
- 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.
- Shoot the tower itself against the Milky Way or star trails on clear, moonless nights.
- 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 Three Fingers Lookout, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
WaterfallWaterfall
Wilderness Area
WaterfallWaterfall
Lake
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Clear Creek Campground10.1 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Esswine Group Camp10.8 km (6.7 mi) · reservable
- Wiley Creek Group Camp10.9 km (6.8 mi) · reservable
- Gold Basin Campground10.9 km (6.8 mi) · reservable
- Verlot Campground11.1 km (6.9 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Three Fingers Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Three Fingers Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Three Fingers Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Three Fingers Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Three Fingers Lookout?
How far is Three Fingers Lookout from Darrington?
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.