Located in Wayne County, Indiana, Hoosier Hill is a mountain peak at about 382 m (1,253 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 9.3 km (5.8 mi) SE of Lynn.
Hoosier Hill is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Indiana with a claimed elevation of 1,257 feet (383 meters) above sea level. Hoosier Hill's claimed elevation is based on SRTM digital elevation data which is now considered to be outdated. Using newer elevation tools such as USGS's 3DEP, the top of Hoosier Hill is closer to 1,255.48 feet (382.67 meters) above sea level. Hoosier Hill is in the rural area of Franklin Township, Wayne County to the northwest of Bethel. The nearest intersection to the high point is Elliot Road and County Line Road. The nearest major landmark is Interstate 70 and Richmond 11 miles (18 km) to the south. Hoosier Hill sits on private property owned by Kim E. Goble. The high point sits in a forested area surrounded by farmland. In 2005, an Eagle Scout candidate named Kyle Cummings (Troop 820 from Lakeside Park, Kentucky), in cooperation with the...From the Wikipedia article “Hoosier Hill”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hoosier Hill the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:44 AM | 90° E | 7:52 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:11 AM | 58° ENE | 9:12 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:28 AM | 89° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:59 AM | 121° ESE | 5:18 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 19m |
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 | 7:30 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:42 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:08 PM | 9h 39m |
| February | 7:06 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 7:25 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:28 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:34 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:54 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:04 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 5:38 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:30 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 00m |
| July | 5:52 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:04 AM | 8:28 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:40 PM | 14h 44m |
| August | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:07 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:54 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:57 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:17 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:23 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:27 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:56 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:53 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 7:24 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:38 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 21m |
Local time (America/Indiana/Indianapolis), 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 Hoosier Hill, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:46 AM – 5:56 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:56 AM – 6:16 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:54 AM – 5:14 AM | 2.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:58 AM – 4:28 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 11:13 PM – 4:03 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 11:05 PM – 2:35 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 10:19 PM – 12:39 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 9:22 PM – 10:32 PM | 1.2 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:31 PM – 8:41 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.14 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 64 | 71 | 81 | 81 | 90 | 101 | 102 | 97 | 96 | 90 | 78 | 69 |
| Low °F | -14 | -10 | 3 | 21 | 25 | 40 | 47 | 47 | 37 | 27 | 10 | -9 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Hoosier Hill, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hoosier Hill?
What time is golden hour at Hoosier Hill?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hoosier Hill?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hoosier Hill?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hoosier Hill?
How far is Hoosier Hill from Lynn?
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.