Every full moon, and when it clears the hills

How to use this

The rise is the show. Once the moon is well up it looks the same all night. The part people drive out for is the few minutes it comes over the horizon, huge and orange. That happens at moonrise, and how good it looks depends on how much light is left in the sky when it gets there — which is why the last column is the one to plan on.

Check the night before, too. The moon comes up roughly 50 minutes earlier each day, so the evening before a full moon usually puts moonrise closer to sunset — and it still looks full to the eye. If a date below shows a late rise, the night before is often the better one.

You need an eastern horizon. The moon comes up in the east, and in this country a hill in the wrong place will eat the first twenty minutes of it. A ridge road, a pasture, or a lake shore facing east beats a canyon bottom every time.

Looking for the opposite — the darkest nights, no moon at all? Stargazing conditions are here.

Times computed for 30.05°N, 99.14°W and rounded to the minute. Your spot will run a few minutes either side. — HillCountry.ai