Clay Butte Lookout — a fire lookout in Park County, Wyoming — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Shoshone National Forest. It sits roughly 40 km (25 mi) SW of Red Lodge. It dates from 1943. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Clay Butte Lookout is a forest fire lookout in Park County, Wyoming. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. It is located in the northern Absaroka Range in the Shoshone National Forest about sixteen miles east of Yellowstone National Park and about four miles south of the Wyoming-Montana state border. It is about one half mile north of U.S. Highway 212, at the end of FS Rd. 142 which winds up to it. Its construction was started in 1941 within the Civilian Conservation Corps program, but the CCC was closed before it was completed in 1943. It is a three-story wood-sided structure built out of eight inch by eight inch beams. It is 26.25 feet (8.00 m) tall. It is near Clark, Wyoming.From the Wikipedia article “Clay Butte Lookout”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Clay Butte Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:22 AM | 90° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:33 AM | 55° NE | 9:09 PM | 305° NW | 68° | 15h 37m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 123° ESE | 4:41 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 46m |
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 | 7:21 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:40 AM | 4:17 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 10m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 27m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:11 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:54 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:04 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:55 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:07 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 35m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:31 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 16m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 05m |
| September | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:01 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:05 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 34m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:12 PM | 8h 48m |
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 Clay Butte Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:23 AM – 5:43 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:22 AM – 4:42 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:20 AM – 3:30 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:41 PM – 2:51 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:24 PM – 1:34 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:22 PM – 11:32 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:12 PM – 9:32 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.93 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 44% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 44 | 44 | 62 | 72 | 81 | 88 | 95 | 92 | 88 | 77 | 62 | 44 |
| Low °F | -24 | -23 | -14 | -1 | 7 | 24 | 35 | 32 | 17 | -9 | -18 | -32 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
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.
- 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 Clay Butte Lookout, closest first.
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Rock FormationWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Island Lake Campground6.8 km (4.2 mi)
- Hunter Peak7.0 km (4.3 mi) · reservable
- M-K Campground18.7 km (11.6 mi)
- Greenough Lake21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Limber Pine21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Clay Butte Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Clay Butte Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Clay Butte Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Clay Butte Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Clay Butte Lookout?
How far is Clay Butte Lookout from Red Lodge?
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.