Located in Ashley County, Arkansas, Crossroads Fire Tower is a fire lookout. The nearest town is North Crossett, about 7.4 km (4.6 mi) away (Crossroads Fire Tower lies NNE of town). Its recorded tower height is about 120 m (394 ft). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Crossroads Fire Tower is a fire lookout tower at 2262 Arkansas Highway 133 North in Ashley County, Arkansas. The tallest tower of its type in Arkansas, it is located north of Crossett and west of Hamburg, which is just north of the junction of Highway 133 and Ashley County Highway 12.From the Wikipedia article “Crossroads Fire Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Crossroads Fire Tower 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) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:00 AM | 61° ENE | 8:21 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 21m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:08 AM | 118° ESE | 5:05 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 57m |
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
Lookouts are built for 360° views, so sunrise and sunset are both options — use the azimuths to decide which view you want.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:45 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 12m |
| February | 6:27 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:18 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 5:41 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 52m |
| June | 5:30 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 20m |
| July | 5:42 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 09m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 6:27 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:02 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:00 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:15 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:33 PM | 10h 27m |
| December | 6:37 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 58m |
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 Crossroads Fire Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:47 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:49 AM – 5:49 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:46 AM – 5:06 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:47 PM – 4:27 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:02 PM – 4:12 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:58 PM – 2:48 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:25 PM – 12:45 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:40 PM – 10:40 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:58 PM – 8:48 PM | 0.8 | 17° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.53 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 76 | 80 | 83 | 89 | 99 | 107 | 109 | 109 | 105 | 102 | 89 | 80 |
| Low °F | 9 | 18 | 18 | 29 | 37 | 56 | 58 | 55 | 45 | 31 | 18 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.2 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 5.5 |
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 fire lookout
- Access roads may be rough or seasonal.
- Some lookouts can be rented overnight through recreation.gov, which puts you on site for both sunset and sunrise.
- Shoot the tower itself against the Milky Way or star trails on clear, moonless nights.
- Haze from wildfire smoke can turn the sun deep red but reduce visibility; check air quality.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Summer and early autumn; many towers are staffed only during fire season.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Warm layers. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Crossroads Fire Tower?
What time is golden hour at Crossroads Fire Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Crossroads Fire Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Crossroads Fire Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Crossroads Fire Tower?
How far is Crossroads Fire Tower from North Crossett?
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.