Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout — a fire lookout in Teton County, Wyoming — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Bridger–Teton National Forest. The nearest town is Driggs, about 57 km (36 mi) away (Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout lies NE of town). Its recorded tower height is about 20 m (66 ft). It dates from 1938. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Huckleberry Mountain Fire Overlook is a fire lookout station in northern Bridger–Teton National Forest. The rustic two-story log structure was built in 1938 by the Civilian Conservation Corps to a standard U.S. Forest Service design. The lookout was used for fire surveillance until 1957.From the Wikipedia article “Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (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 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:26 AM | 90° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:40 AM | 56° NE | 9:10 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:55 AM | 123° ESE | 4:48 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
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 | 7:23 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:40 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 7:07 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:58 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:37 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 5:56 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:09 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:17 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:09 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:18 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:19 PM | 8h 54m |
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 Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:15 AM – 5:55 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:11 AM – 4:51 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:16 AM – 3:46 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:32 PM – 3:12 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:18 PM – 1:48 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:20 PM – 11:50 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:13 PM – 9:43 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 39% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 33 | 32 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 80 | 90 | 90 | 82 | 72 | 53 | 33 |
| Low °F | -32 | -34 | -21 | -10 | 6 | 22 | 29 | 28 | 18 | -9 | -23 | -32 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout, closest first.
Hot SpringHot SpringHot SpringHot Spring
WaterfallHot Spring
CanyonHot Spring
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Headwaters Campground At Flagg Ranch6.0 km (3.8 mi) · reservable
- Lizard Creek Campground11.4 km (7.1 mi) · reservable
- Colter Bay Campground19.9 km (12.4 mi) · reservable
- Colter Bay Rv Park20.0 km (12.4 mi) · reservable
- Colter Bay Tent Village20 km (12 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout?
What time is golden hour at Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout?
How far is Huckleberry Mountain Fire Lookout from Driggs?
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.