Located in Los Angeles County, California, Fairmont Butte is a rock formation. It is part of Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. The nearest town is Green Valley, about 14.2 km (8.8 mi) away (Fairmont Butte lies N of town).
Fairmont Butte is a butte of volcanic origins in the Antelope Valley just west of the City of Lancaster, California in Los Angeles County. Summit elevation is 3,130 feet above sea level. Parts of Fairmont Butte are situated within the boundaries of Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. During construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, the City of Los Angeles found deposits of Tuff at Fairmont Butte that closely resembled German Trass and Italian Pozzolana and was an ideal ingredient to blend and use in the production of cement. The City constructed a quarry and regrinding plant at the base of Fairmont Butte to excavate the tuff, grind and blend it with Portland cement which was used in the construction of the aqueduct's Mojave conduit.From the Wikipedia article “Fairmont Butte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fairmont Butte 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 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:58 AM | 90° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:42 AM | 61° ENE | 8:11 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:58 AM | 118° ESE | 4:47 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 49m |
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
Rock towers and buttes glow red and orange in the first and last half-hour of sun; midday light flattens their shape.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:34 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:34 PM | 10h 05m |
| February | 6:14 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:15 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:56 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:52 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 59m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 28m |
| July | 5:23 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 16m |
| August | 5:48 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:27 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:35 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:02 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 21m |
| December | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 50m |
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 Fairmont Butte, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:32 AM – 5:12 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:46 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:45 AM – 4:45 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:49 PM – 4:09 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:56 PM – 3:46 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:51 PM – 2:21 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:16 PM – 12:26 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:28 PM – 10:18 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:44 PM – 8:24 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.28 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 14% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (42%). 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 | 80 | 84 | 87 | 93 | 99 | 109 | 110 | 107 | 112 | 101 | 89 | 80 |
| Low °F | 24 | 25 | 26 | 30 | 36 | 42 | 50 | 51 | 43 | 35 | 27 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
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 rock formation
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- Use the sunrise and sunset azimuths below to know which face will be lit.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Fairmont Butte, closest first.
State Park
Canyon
State Park
Lake
Lake
Mountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Upper Shake Campground12.9 km (8.0 mi)
- Sawmill Campground15.9 km (9.9 mi)
- Streamside Campground22 km (14 mi)
- Zuni Campground27 km (17 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fairmont Butte?
What time is golden hour at Fairmont Butte?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fairmont Butte?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fairmont Butte?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fairmont Butte?
How far is Fairmont Butte from Green Valley?
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.