Hoodoo Butte — a mountain peak in Linn County, Oregon at about 1,706 m (5,597 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Sisters.
Hoodoo Butte is a cinder cone butte in the Cascade Range of northern Oregon, located near Santiam Pass. Immediately to the east lies Hayrick Butte, a prime example of a tuya; the two mountains' names were likely mistaken for each other, but stuck with them over time. The area has been subjected to a number of historic fires. Hoodoo is sometimes considered a subfeature of the Mount Washington shield volcano, and it forms part of the Sisters Reach, which extends from South Cinder Peak to Crane Prairie Reservoir, running for 56 miles (90 km). This region has a high vent density, with many mafic (rich in magnesium and iron) volcanoes of Pleistocene to Holocene age, such as Hoodoo. While Hoodoo has an intact summit crater that was blocked from erosion by glaciers, it has an irregular topography, giving it an open appearance.From the Wikipedia article “Hoodoo Butte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hoodoo Butte the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 55° NE | 8:56 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:41 AM | 123° ESE | 4:32 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 50m |
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 | 7:09 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:27 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 13m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 5:07 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 31m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:26 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:25 PM | 6:54 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:33 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:48 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:26 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:03 PM | 8h 52m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Hoodoo Butte, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:02 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:59 AM – 4:29 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:06 AM – 3:26 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:24 PM – 2:54 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:09 PM – 1:29 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:08 PM – 11:28 PM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:00 PM – 9:30 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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. Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 65 | 65 | 77 | 84 | 94 | 100 | 103 | 102 | 98 | 88 | 72 | 58 |
| Low °F | -8 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 40 | 40 | 30 | 17 | 3 | -6 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 3.8 |
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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Hoodoo Butte, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Volcano
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Lake
State ParkVolcano
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Big Lake2.7 km (1.7 mi) · reservable
- Big Lake West Campground3.1 km (1.9 mi) · reservable
- Lost Lake - Willamette (Or)4.1 km (2.5 mi) · reservable
- Cold Water Cove - Willamette Nf (Or)9.3 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
- Fish Lake Remount Depot Cabins9.8 km (6.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hoodoo Butte?
What time is golden hour at Hoodoo Butte?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hoodoo Butte?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hoodoo Butte?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hoodoo Butte?
How far is Hoodoo Butte from Sisters?
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.