Turtle Butte is a rock formation in Tripp County, South Dakota. The nearest town is Winner, about 35 km (22 mi) away (Turtle Butte lies S of town).
Turtle Butte is a summit in Tripp County, South Dakota, in the United States. With an elevation of 2,343 feet (714 m), Turtle Butte is the 456th highest summit in the state of South Dakota. Turtle Butte derives its name from a Native American legend in which a warrior sat upon a rock only to realize the rock was in fact a giant turtle. Turtle Butte Formation is a named geological formation on the western side of the summit.From the Wikipedia article “Turtle Butte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Turtle Butte the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:43 AM | 90° E | 7:52 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:01 AM | 56° ENE | 9:23 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:27 AM | 89° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:08 AM | 122° ESE | 5:08 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 00m |
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 | 7:37 AM | 8:09 AM | 8:53 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:02 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 7:09 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:18 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:14 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:44 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:58 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:29 PM | 14h 39m |
| June | 5:25 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:44 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:21 PM | 9:57 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:35 PM | 9:18 PM | 9:52 PM | 15h 03m |
| August | 6:15 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:14 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:57 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:32 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:15 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:48 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 7:32 AM | 8:05 AM | 8:51 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 01m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Turtle Butte, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 5:20 AM – 6:10 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:24 AM – 5:04 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:26 AM – 4:06 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:38 PM – 3:38 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:27 PM – 2:17 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:32 PM – 12:12 AM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:28 PM – 10:18 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 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 43% 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 | 86 | 93 | 99 | 107 | 116 | 112 | 104 | 93 | 78 | 67 |
| Low °F | -19 | -9 | -17 | 10 | 27 | 44 | 50 | 50 | 37 | 10 | 1 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
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
- 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.
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- 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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Turtle Butte?
What time is golden hour at Turtle Butte?
Where does the sun rise and set at Turtle Butte?
Can you see the Milky Way from Turtle Butte?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Turtle Butte?
How far is Turtle Butte from Winner?
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.