Located in Allamakee County, Iowa, Yellow River Fire Tower is a fire lookout. It is part of Yellow River State Forest. The nearest town is Prairie du Chien, about 14.7 km (9.1 mi) away (Yellow River Fire Tower lies NNW of town). Its recorded tower height is about 100 m (328 ft). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wikidata describes it as: “historic fire lookout”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Yellow River Fire Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) 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 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:26 AM | 56° NE | 8:49 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 122° ESE | 4:33 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 59m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 4:50 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 22m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:18 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:17 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:04 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 Yellow River Fire Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 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 2 (typical truly dark 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 | 4:47 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:51 AM – 4:31 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:54 AM – 3:34 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:07 PM – 2:57 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 1:45 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:59 PM – 11:39 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 9:34 PM | 0.7 | 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.71 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 September as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (71%). 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 | 49 | 63 | 77 | 82 | 91 | 97 | 105 | 100 | 94 | 83 | 71 | 65 |
| Low °F | -39 | -21 | -20 | 10 | 27 | 39 | 47 | 41 | 32 | 22 | 2 | -27 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 1.7 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Yellow River Fire Tower, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Yellow River Fire Tower?
What time is golden hour at Yellow River Fire Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Yellow River Fire Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Yellow River Fire Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Yellow River Fire Tower?
How far is Yellow River Fire Tower from Prairie du Chien?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata. 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.