Located in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, Driskill Mountain is a mountain peak at about 162 m (531 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Arcadia, about 14.0 km (8.7 mi) away (Driskill Mountain lies S of town).
Driskill Mountain (also referred to as Mount Driskill) is the highest natural summit in Louisiana, with an elevation of 535 ft (163 m) above sea level. It lies about 5.3 mi (8.5 km) southeast of Bryceland, in Bienville Parish. A large pile of rocks marks the high point. When comparing the highest point of elevation in each state, this mountain places Louisiana at third lowest - only Florida (Britton Hill) and Delaware (Ebright Azimuth) have lower highest points of elevation.From the Wikipedia article “Driskill Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Driskill Mountain 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 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:16 AM | 90° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:06 AM | 61° ENE | 8:23 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:10 AM | 118° ESE | 5:11 PM | 243° WSW | 34° | 10h 01m |
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 | 6:47 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 15m |
| February | 6:30 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:24 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:23 PM | 11h 03m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:18 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:07 PM | 12h 58m |
| May | 5:47 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 49m |
| June | 5:36 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 16m |
| July | 5:48 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 05m |
| August | 6:10 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:24 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 21m |
| September | 6:32 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 24m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:17 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:38 PM | 10h 30m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:36 PM | 10h 02m |
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 Driskill Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 29° 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 | 4:41 AM – 5:31 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:52 AM – 5:52 AM | 2.0 | 25° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:48 AM – 5:08 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:48 PM – 4:38 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:03 PM – 4:23 AM | 6.3 | 29° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:59 PM – 2:49 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:27 PM – 12:47 AM | 3.3 | 29° | S → SW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 10:53 PM | 2.2 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:02 PM – 8:52 PM | 0.8 | 18° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.7 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 41% 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 | 77 | 81 | 86 | 92 | 108 | 108 | 109 | 110 | 105 | 100 | 89 | 81 |
| Low °F | 13 | 19 | 20 | 32 | 38 | 58 | 60 | 54 | 45 | 32 | 19 | 19 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 5.4 |
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Driskill Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Driskill Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Driskill Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Driskill Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Driskill Mountain?
How far is Driskill Mountain from Arcadia?
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.