Cotton Lookout Tower — a fire lookout in Saint Louis County, Minnesota — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Cloquet Valley State Forest. It sits roughly 33 km (20 mi) S of Eveleth.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cotton Lookout Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 89° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:15 AM | 53° NE | 9:10 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 125° SE | 4:23 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 29m |
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 | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:22 PM | 8h 55m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 05m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:14 AM | 6:02 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 54m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:16 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 33m |
| August | 5:34 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 16m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:58 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:55 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 22m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:57 PM | 8h 31m |
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 Cotton Lookout Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | 5:38 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:32 AM – 4:22 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:41 AM – 3:11 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:08 AM – 2:08 AM | 2.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:42 PM – 1:02 AM | 1.3 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 11:06 PM | 0.7 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.82 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 39 | 45 | 75 | 77 | 87 | 90 | 101 | 96 | 91 | 79 | 67 | 43 |
| Low °F | -45 | -35 | -36 | 4 | 22 | 32 | 41 | 37 | 24 | 8 | -9 | -36 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 1.2 |
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 Cotton Lookout Tower?
What time is golden hour at Cotton Lookout Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cotton Lookout Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cotton Lookout Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cotton Lookout Tower?
How far is Cotton Lookout Tower from Eveleth?
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.