Bare Butte — a rock formation in Wichita County, Texas — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 7.8 km (4.8 mi) SSE of Iowa Park.
Bare Butte is a summit in Wichita County, Texas, in the United States. With an elevation of 1,056 feet (322 m), Bare Butte is the 1529th highest summit in the state of Texas. Bare Butte was named for one Mr. Barre, an early settler and prospector.From the Wikipedia article “Bare Butte”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bare 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 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:39 AM | 90° E | 7:47 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:25 AM | 61° ENE | 8:49 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:23 AM | 89° E | 7:33 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:37 AM | 118° ESE | 5:30 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 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 | 7:13 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 09m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:45 PM | 10h 59m |
| March | 7:21 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:19 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:08 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:39 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 02m |
| May | 6:07 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:29 PM | 8:57 PM | 13h 55m |
| June | 5:55 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:01 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 24m |
| July | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 12m |
| August | 6:31 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 26m |
| September | 6:54 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:52 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:08 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:15 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:32 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 25m |
| December | 7:05 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 55m |
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 Bare Butte, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:13 AM – 5:53 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:26 AM – 6:16 AM | 1.8 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:24 AM – 5:34 AM | 3.2 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 12:27 AM – 4:47 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:33 PM – 4:33 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:29 PM – 3:09 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 1:05 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 9:08 PM – 11:08 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:25 PM – 9:05 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.78 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 37% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (52%). 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 | 81 | 88 | 93 | 102 | 111 | 113 | 112 | 113 | 108 | 100 | 88 | 81 |
| Low °F | 15 | 13 | 16 | 31 | 38 | 58 | 62 | 62 | 48 | 24 | 18 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 1.3 |
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bare Butte?
What time is golden hour at Bare Butte?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bare Butte?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bare Butte?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bare Butte?
How far is Bare Butte from Iowa Park?
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.