Poston Butte — a mountain peak in Pinal County, Arizona at about 529 m (1,736 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 3.3 km (2.1 mi) NW of Florence.
Poston Butte, formerly called Primrose Hill, is a hill located along Hunt Highway in Florence, Pinal County, Arizona, United States, near the eastern end of the Santan Mountains. Geologically, it is characterized by basalts overlying altered granite. This hill is noted for having the pyramidal tomb of Charles Debrille Poston at its summit. Poston lobbied President Lincoln and Congress to create the Territory of Arizona and was appointed Superintendent of Indian Affairs because of his familiarity with the Native populations of the area. The tomb can be accessed by a 0.6-mile (0.97 km) trail starting from the trailhead near Hunt Highway.From the Wikipedia article “Poston Butte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Poston Butte the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:30 AM | 90° E | 6:38 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:18 AM | 61° ENE | 7:38 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:15 AM | 89° E | 6:24 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 118° ESE | 5:23 PM | 242° WSW | 34° | 9h 58m |
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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:03 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 12m |
| February | 6:45 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 6:12 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:34 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:31 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:29 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:22 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 5:00 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:46 PM | 13h 52m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:17 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:05 PM | 14h 19m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:04 PM | 14h 08m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:39 PM | 13h 23m |
| September | 5:45 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:33 PM | 6:58 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:06 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:04 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:18 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:31 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 28m |
| December | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 59m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), 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 Poston Butte, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:55 AM – 5:45 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:07 AM – 5:07 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:03 AM – 4:23 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:04 PM – 3:44 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:19 PM – 3:29 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:15 PM – 2:05 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:43 PM – 12:03 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 7:57 PM – 9:57 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:16 PM – 8:06 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.14 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 18% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (49%). 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 | 81 | 82 | 93 | 98 | 107 | 114 | 112 | 110 | 109 | 101 | 91 | 79 |
| Low °F | 16 | 19 | 25 | 31 | 39 | 53 | 65 | 64 | 50 | 33 | 23 | 18 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 |
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 mountain peak
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Poston Butte, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Poston Butte?
What time is golden hour at Poston Butte?
Where does the sun rise and set at Poston Butte?
Can you see the Milky Way from Poston Butte?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Poston Butte?
How far is Poston Butte from Florence?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.