Grindstone Butte — a rock formation in Haakon County, South Dakota — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Box Elder, about 102 km (63 mi) away (Grindstone Butte lies E of town).
Grindstone Butte is a summit in Haakon County, South Dakota, in the United States. With an elevation of 2,595 feet (791 m), Grindstone Butte is the 417th highest summit in the state of South Dakota. Grindstone Butte's name comes from the Native Americans of the area, who collected their grindstones from this summit. The nearby Grindstone Creek takes its name from Grindstone Butte.From the Wikipedia article “Grindstone Butte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Grindstone 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 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) | 6:51 AM | 90° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 56° NE | 8:35 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:35 AM | 89° E | 6:46 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 123° ESE | 4:12 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
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 | 6:48 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 4:48 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 4:27 AM | 5:04 AM | 5:48 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 11m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:21 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:33 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:42 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:34 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:12 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:27 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:22 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:43 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 Grindstone 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 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 | 4:40 AM – 5:20 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:37 AM – 4:07 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:43 AM – 3:13 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:00 PM – 2:30 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:45 PM – 1:15 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 11:16 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:09 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 5.0+ 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 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (67%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 61 | 72 | 83 | 91 | 100 | 113 | 117 | 111 | 107 | 94 | 75 | 64 |
| Low °F | -18 | -10 | -21 | 10 | 26 | 40 | 51 | 47 | 35 | -3 | 2 | -14 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
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 rock formation
- 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.
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- 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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Grindstone Butte?
What time is golden hour at Grindstone Butte?
Where does the sun rise and set at Grindstone Butte?
Can you see the Milky Way from Grindstone Butte?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Grindstone Butte?
How far is Grindstone Butte from Box Elder?
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.