West Fargo is a city of about 33,597 people in Cass County, North Dakota, at 273 m (896 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:53 AM and sets at 6:33 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:51 PM – 6:52 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:09 AM | 8:58 AM | 4:17 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:40 PM | 8h 57m |
| February | 7:33 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:24 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 7:41 AM | 8:22 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:04 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:41 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 5:54 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 03m |
| June | 5:33 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:37 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:04 PM | 15h 51m |
| July | 5:49 AM | 6:35 AM | 8:34 PM | 9:19 PM | 9:57 PM | 15h 31m |
| August | 6:26 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 7:06 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:12 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:46 AM | 8:28 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:13 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 7:31 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 23m |
| December | 8:07 AM | 8:59 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:16 PM | 8h 33m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in West Fargo
At West Fargo the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
Best photo spots near West Fargo
3 photo locations lie within 80 km of West Fargo. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
Lakes
National Wildlife Refuges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central West Fargo is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Storm Lake National Wildlife Refuge, about 82 km (51 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from April to August, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 3.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storm Lake National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 82 km (51 mi) | 1 |
| Mineral Springs Falls | Waterfall | 87 km (54 mi) | 1 |
| Fort Ransom State Park | State Park | 87 km (54 mi) | 1 |
| Sherbrooke | Ghost Town | 90 km (56 mi) | 1 |
| Lake Elsie National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 92 km (57 mi) | 1 |
| Tulaby Lookout Tower | Fire Lookout | 101 km (63 mi) | 1 |
| Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 104 km (64 mi) | 1 |
| Rydell National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 105 km (66 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:56 AM – 5:56 AM | 0.0 | 11° |
| April | 3:49 AM – 4:39 AM | 0.8 | 13° |
| May | 1:56 AM – 3:26 AM | 1.5 | 14° |
| June | 12:21 AM – 2:31 AM | 2.2 | 14° |
| July | 11:56 PM – 1:26 AM | 1.5 | 14° |
| August | 10:43 PM – 11:23 PM | 0.7 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.