Agassiz Headquarters Fire Observation Tower — a fire lookout in Marshall County, Minnesota — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge. It sits roughly 25 km (15 mi) NE of Thief River Falls.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Agassiz Headquarters Fire Observation Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:28 AM | 89° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 52° NE | 9:29 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:13 AM | 126° SE | 4:33 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 19m |
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 | 7:35 AM | 8:11 AM | 9:02 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:33 PM | 8h 47m |
| February | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 14m |
| March | 7:07 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:19 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:29 PM | 8:00 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:47 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:31 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 12m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:27 PM | 10:09 PM | 16h 04m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:34 PM | 9:22 PM | 10:01 PM | 15h 42m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 21m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:13 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:27 AM | 5:54 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:08 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:58 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:21 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 15m |
| December | 7:33 AM | 8:09 AM | 9:03 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:07 PM | 8h 21m |
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 Agassiz Headquarters Fire Observation Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 4:01 AM – 4:31 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:05 AM – 3:05 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:50 AM – 1:50 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 12:11 AM – 1:01 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:47 PM – 11:07 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.9 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 52% average cloud cover) and November 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 | 40 | 49 | 78 | 83 | 88 | 92 | 100 | 101 | 92 | 84 | 69 | 42 |
| Low °F | -47 | -42 | -35 | 2 | 22 | 35 | 42 | 36 | 24 | 11 | -9 | -40 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
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
- 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.
- Access roads may be rough or seasonal.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Launching or landing drones on National Wildlife Refuge lands generally requires a special use permit from the refuge manager, and wildlife disturbance rules apply everywhere.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Agassiz Headquarters Fire Observation Tower, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Agassiz Headquarters Fire Observation Tower?
What time is golden hour at Agassiz Headquarters Fire Observation Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Agassiz Headquarters Fire Observation Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Agassiz Headquarters Fire Observation Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Agassiz Headquarters Fire Observation Tower?
How far is Agassiz Headquarters Fire Observation Tower from Thief River Falls?
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.