Located in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, Gheen Hill Lookout Tower is a fire lookout. The nearest town is Mountain Iron, about 52 km (32 mi) away (Gheen Hill Lookout Tower lies NNW of town).
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Gheen Hill Lookout Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (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 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:15 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 53° NE | 9:15 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:59 AM | 126° SE | 4:21 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 22m |
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 | 7:22 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:48 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:21 PM | 8h 49m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 10m |
| June | 4:31 AM | 5:12 AM | 6:01 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:54 PM | 16h 01m |
| July | 4:49 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:47 PM | 15h 39m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 19m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:57 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:56 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:07 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 17m |
| December | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:49 AM | 3:26 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:56 PM | 8h 24m |
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 Gheen Hill Lookout Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. June gives the longest window (about 1.3 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 | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:47 AM – 4:17 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:49 AM – 2:59 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:28 AM – 1:48 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:54 PM – 12:54 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:32 PM – 10:52 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 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 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
- 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.
- Some lookouts can be rented overnight through recreation.gov, which puts you on site for both sunset and sunrise.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Gheen Hill Lookout Tower, closest first.
Waterfall
State Park
Fire LookoutFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Gheen Hill Lookout Tower?
What time is golden hour at Gheen Hill Lookout Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Gheen Hill Lookout Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Gheen Hill Lookout Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Gheen Hill Lookout Tower?
How far is Gheen Hill Lookout Tower from Mountain Iron?
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.