Dickinson Hill Fire Tower is a fire lookout in Rensselaer County, New York. The nearest town is Cropseyville, about 12.7 km (7.9 mi) away (Dickinson Hill Fire Tower lies ENE of town). Its recorded tower height is about 60 m (197 ft). It dates from 1924. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Dickinson Hill Fire Tower is a historic fire observation station located at Grafton, Rensselaer County, New York. The 60-foot-tall (18 m), steel frame lookout tower is a prefabricated structure built by the Aermotor Corporation in 1924. Also on the property are the contributing concrete water tank and foundation of the observer's cabin. It has not been staffed since 1972, and is the last remaining fire tower in Rensselaer County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.From the Wikipedia article “Dickinson Hill Fire Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Dickinson Hill Fire Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) 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 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:58 AM | 90° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:16 AM | 56° ENE | 8:36 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 122° ESE | 4:23 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 01m |
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 | 6:51 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 38m |
| June | 4:40 AM | 5:16 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 19m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 02m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:29 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 03m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Dickinson Hill Fire Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:35 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:38 AM – 4:28 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:39 AM – 3:29 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:51 PM – 2:51 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:40 PM – 1:30 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 11:36 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:42 PM – 9:32 PM | 0.8 | 15° | 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.75 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 51% 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 | 64 | 70 | 73 | 87 | 91 | 93 | 100 | 98 | 93 | 86 | 74 | 68 |
| Low °F | -24 | -18 | -15 | 12 | 27 | 34 | 46 | 46 | 34 | 18 | 3 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 3.9 |
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.
- 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 Dickinson Hill Fire Tower, closest first.
State Park
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Lake
Waterfall
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
State Park
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Dickinson Hill Fire Tower?
What time is golden hour at Dickinson Hill Fire Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Dickinson Hill Fire Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Dickinson Hill Fire Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Dickinson Hill Fire Tower?
How far is Dickinson Hill Fire Tower from Cropseyville?
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.