Black Hills National Forest — a national forest in Pennington County, South Dakota — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Custer, about 22 km (13 mi) away (Black Hills National Forest lies NNW of town).
Black Hills National Forest is located in southwestern South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, United States. The forest has an area of over 1.25 million acres (5,066 km2) and is managed by the Forest Service. Forest headquarters are located in Custer, South Dakota. There are local ranger district offices in Custer, Rapid City, and Spearfish in South Dakota, and in Sundance, Wyoming. Predominantly ponderosa pine, the forest also includes hard woods like aspen, bur oak, and birch. The lower elevations include grassland prairie, but the National Forest System lands encompass most of the mountainous region known as the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. Within the forest is Black Elk Peak which is the tallest mountain in South Dakota and the highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States.From the Wikipedia article “Black Hills National Forest”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Black Hills National Forest the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:59 AM | 90° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 56° NE | 8:42 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:43 AM | 89° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:27 AM | 123° ESE | 4:21 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 53m |
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
Forests suit soft light — overcast days reduce contrast under the canopy, and morning fog adds depth.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:55 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:12 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:28 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:32 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:36 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:34 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:52 PM | 8h 55m |
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 Black Hills National Forest, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:48 AM – 5:28 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:44 AM – 4:24 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:49 AM – 3:19 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:05 PM – 2:45 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:51 PM – 1:21 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:53 PM – 11:23 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 9:16 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.85 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 September as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 63 | 69 | 79 | 87 | 95 | 106 | 108 | 104 | 101 | 89 | 76 | 64 |
| Low °F | -10 | -12 | -9 | 8 | 20 | 36 | 46 | 40 | 28 | 2 | -2 | -13 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
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 national forest
- Fall color peaks vary by elevation; follow it downhill over several weeks.
- Dispersed camping is often allowed, which makes sunrise and night shoots easier — check local rules.
- Forest roads can close in winter or after storms; download offline maps.
- Fire restrictions may limit campfires and stoves in summer.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Autumn color and spring flowers draw photographers; winter brings snow-covered forests in the North and West.
Suggested gear: Polarizer, Tripod, Offline maps, Insect repellent. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Recreational drones are generally allowed in national forests outside designated wilderness, subject to FAA rules and temporary flight restrictions — wildfire TFRs are common in summer.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Black Hills National Forest, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
Natural Arch
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
Cave
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Whitetail10.4 km (6.5 mi) · reservable
- Dutchman10.7 km (6.7 mi) · reservable
- Oreville Campground11.4 km (7.1 mi) · reservable
- Willow Creek Horse Camp15.9 km (9.9 mi) · reservable
- Horsethief Lake Campground20 km (12 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Black Hills National Forest?
What time is golden hour at Black Hills National Forest?
Where does the sun rise and set at Black Hills National Forest?
Can you see the Milky Way from Black Hills National Forest?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Black Hills National Forest?
How far is Black Hills National Forest from Custer?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.