Britton Hill — a mountain peak in Walton County, Florida at about 105 m (344 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Florala, about 4.8 km (3.0 mi) away (Britton Hill lies ESE of town).
Britton Hill is the highest natural point in the state of Florida, United States, with a summit elevation of 345 ft (105 m) above mean sea level. Britton Hill is the lowest state highpoint in the United States, 103 ft (31 m) lower than the second-lowest U.S. state highpoint, Ebright Azimuth in Delaware. The hill is located in northern Walton County near the town of Lakewood, Florida, just off County Road 285 about 2 mi (3 km) southeast of Florala, Alabama. It is inside Lakewood Park, which marks the high point and features a monument, trails, and an information board. The hill is named after and in honor of the Britton family and former early 1900s lumber mill baron William Henry Britton. The family gifted the land after Hazel Slaughter Britton's death in 1976.From the Wikipedia article “Britton Hill”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Britton Hill the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 82° in summer but only 36° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:43 AM | 62° ENE | 7:52 PM | 298° WNW | 82° | 14h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:43 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:40 AM | 117° ESE | 4:48 PM | 243° WSW | 36° | 10h 08m |
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 | 6:18 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:32 PM | 10h 21m |
| February | 6:02 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:00 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:58 PM | 11h 06m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 56m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 43m |
| June | 5:14 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:19 PM | 14h 09m |
| July | 5:25 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 58m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:55 PM | 13h 17m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:17 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 6:24 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:21 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 26m |
| November | 5:47 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:48 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:14 PM | 10h 36m |
| December | 6:10 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:12 PM | 10h 09m |
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 Britton Hill, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 30° 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 | 4:04 AM – 5:04 AM | 1.0 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:14 AM – 5:34 AM | 2.3 | 27° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:18 AM – 4:48 AM | 3.5 | 30° | SE → S |
| May | 11:16 PM – 4:16 AM | 5.0 | 30° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:29 PM – 3:59 AM | 6.5 | 30° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:26 PM – 2:36 AM | 5.2 | 30° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:56 PM – 12:36 AM | 3.7 | 30° | S → SW |
| September | 8:14 PM – 10:34 PM | 2.3 | 27° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:35 PM – 8:35 PM | 1.0 | 19° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.73 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (58%). 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 | 76 | 78 | 83 | 89 | 97 | 101 | 99 | 100 | 99 | 97 | 86 | 78 |
| Low °F | 21 | 26 | 29 | 40 | 49 | 64 | 66 | 64 | 53 | 38 | 28 | 27 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.7 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 3.2 | 6.1 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 5.3 |
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.
- 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 Britton Hill, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Britton Hill?
What time is golden hour at Britton Hill?
Where does the sun rise and set at Britton Hill?
Can you see the Milky Way from Britton Hill?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Britton Hill?
How far is Britton Hill from Florala?
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.