Factory Hill is a mountain peak in Teton County, Wyoming at about 2,904 m (9,528 ft) above sea level. It lies in or next to Yellowstone National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Jackson, about 92 km (57 mi) away (Factory Hill lies NNE of town).
Factory Hill el. 9,527 feet (2,904 m) is a mountain peak in the Red Mountains of Yellowstone National Park. It is directly north of Mount Sheridan and west of the Heart Lake Geyser Basin. Early in the history of Yellowstone, this peak was called Red Mountain by the Hayden surveys, a name later transferred to the range in which it resides. In 1885, the Hague Geological Survey gave the peak its present name based on the following passage by Nathaniel P. Langford in his 1871 Scribner's account of the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition. Langford's party was camped near the south arm of Yellowstone Lake at the time. Factory Hill was so named because the noise and steam proceeding from them resembled in this respect an active factory town. Through the hazy atmosphere we beheld, on the shore of the inlet opposite our camp, the steam ascending in jets from more than fifty craters [Heart...From the Wikipedia article “Factory Hill”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Factory Hill 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) | 7:26 AM | 90° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:39 AM | 55° NE | 9:10 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:56 AM | 123° ESE | 4:46 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 51m |
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 | 7:23 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:41 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 7:06 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:57 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:22 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 5:02 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 30m |
| July | 5:18 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:36 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:55 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:08 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:17 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:39 PM | 7:09 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:47 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 7:19 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:18 PM | 8h 53m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Factory Hill, 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 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:15 AM – 5:55 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:12 AM – 4:42 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:18 AM – 3:48 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:35 PM – 3:05 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:20 PM – 1:50 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:21 PM – 11:51 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:14 PM – 9:44 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 39% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 33 | 32 | 51 | 64 | 73 | 80 | 90 | 90 | 82 | 72 | 53 | 33 |
| Low °F | -32 | -34 | -21 | -10 | 6 | 22 | 29 | 28 | 18 | -9 | -23 | -32 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Factory Hill, closest first.
Hot Spring
Hot Spring
Hot Spring
Hot Spring
Mountain Peak
Lake
Lake
Waterfall
Hot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Lewis Lake Campground7.6 km (4.7 mi) · reservable
- Headwaters Campground At Flagg Ranch23 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Factory Hill?
What time is golden hour at Factory Hill?
Where does the sun rise and set at Factory Hill?
Can you see the Milky Way from Factory Hill?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Factory Hill?
How far is Factory Hill from Jackson?
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.