Lolah Butte is a rock formation in Deschutes County, Oregon. The nearest town is Three Rivers, about 16.1 km (10.0 mi) away (Lolah Butte lies W of town).
Lolah Butte is a summit in Deschutes County, Oregon, in the United States. With an elevation of 5,190 feet (1,580 m), Lolah Butte is the 1258th highest summit in the state of Oregon. Lolah is a name most likely derived from Chinook Jargon, meaning "round" or "complete".From the Wikipedia article “Lolah Butte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lolah Butte 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 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 90° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 56° NE | 8:53 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 123° ESE | 4:33 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 54m |
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 | 7:06 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:47 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 44m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:53 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:31 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:46 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 7:02 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:22 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:04 PM | 8h 56m |
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 Lolah Butte, 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 | 4:59 AM – 5:39 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:55 AM – 4:35 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:59 AM – 3:29 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:14 PM – 2:54 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:01 PM – 1:41 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 11:34 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:57 PM – 9:37 PM | 0.7 | 14° | 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 ≈ 21.72 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 23% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 59 | 61 | 72 | 79 | 89 | 95 | 102 | 97 | 95 | 87 | 71 | 55 |
| Low °F | -16 | -5 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 16 | 0 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.6 |
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
- 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.
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Lolah Butte, closest first.
Rock Formation
Waterfall
LakeWaterfall
State Park
Mountain Peak
Volcano
Lake
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Fall River Campground8.6 km (5.4 mi) · reservable
- Fall River Guard Station8.7 km (5.4 mi) · reservable
- Crane Prairie Campground9.0 km (5.6 mi) · reservable
- Cow Meadow Campground9.3 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
- Little Lava Lake10.7 km (6.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lolah Butte?
What time is golden hour at Lolah Butte?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lolah Butte?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lolah Butte?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lolah Butte?
How far is Lolah Butte from Three Rivers?
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.