Mount Magazine is a mountain peak in Yell County, Arkansas. It is part of Mount Magazine State Park. It sits roughly 15.9 km (9.9 mi) SSE of Paris.
Mount Magazine, officially named Magazine Mountain, is the highest point of the U.S. Interior Highlands and the U.S. state of Arkansas, and is the site of Mount Magazine State Park. It is a flat-topped mountain or mesa capped by hard rock and rimmed by precipitous cliffs. There are two summits atop the mountain: Signal Hill, which reaches 2,753 ft (839 m) and Mossback Ridge, which reaches 2,700 ft (823 m). Mount Magazine is often called "the highest point between the Alleghenies and the Rockies" (there are mountains located in the Trans-Pecos region of far-west Texas which exceed Mount Magazine in elevation and prominence, although the Trans-Pecos region lies so far south of the Rockies, that region arguably lies not "between" the Allegheny Mountains and the Rocky Mountains). However, there are higher points in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Magazine”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Magazine the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 90° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:01 AM | 60° ENE | 8:33 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 119° ESE | 5:07 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 47m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 03m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:22 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:17 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 5:43 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 01m |
| June | 5:31 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 31m |
| July | 5:43 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 18m |
| August | 6:08 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 30m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:06 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:37 PM | 10h 20m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 48m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Mount Magazine, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:03 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:07 AM – 5:57 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:07 AM – 5:07 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 12:12 AM – 4:22 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:19 PM – 4:09 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:15 PM – 2:45 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:38 PM – 12:38 AM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:49 PM – 10:39 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:06 PM – 8:46 PM | 0.7 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.74 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 73 | 79 | 85 | 93 | 96 | 109 | 107 | 115 | 105 | 92 | 84 | 77 |
| Low °F | 4 | -1 | 9 | 22 | 34 | 51 | 56 | 53 | 43 | 27 | 17 | 4 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 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 mountain peak
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Magazine, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Cove Lake Recreation Area6.7 km (4.2 mi) · reservable
- Waveland Park6.7 km (4.2 mi) · reservable
- Outlet Area7.4 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
- Sorghum Hollow18.9 km (11.7 mi) · reservable
- Spring Lake Recreation Area20 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Magazine?
What time is golden hour at Mount Magazine?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Magazine?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Magazine?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Magazine?
How far is Mount Magazine from Paris?
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.