Number Four Fire Tower — a fire lookout in Lewis County, New York — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Lowville, about 25 km (15 mi) away (Number Four Fire Tower lies ENE of town).
The Number Four Fire Tower was a fire observation station located southwest of Number Four in Lewis County, New York. In 1928, the Fisher Forestry Company with supervision from the Conservation Department built a 75-foot-tall (23 m) Aermotor Corporation LX25 tower, with ladders rather than stairs between the landings. The tower was owned and operated by the landowner until 1945 when the Conservation Department took over operation. Around 1960, the ladders were all replaced with stairs. In 1958, the piece of land that included the cabin and tower, was transferred from landowner to the state of New York. The tower was closed in the early 1980s, and was later dismantled and removed. The upper section of the tower was used to build the demonstration tower adjacent to the Lowville Department of Environmental Conservation office. Around 1984 the observer cabin was moved to Nicks Lake...From the Wikipedia article “Number Four Fire Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Number Four Fire Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (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) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 56° NE | 8:47 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 123° ESE | 4:27 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 54m |
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 | 7:01 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 44m |
| June | 4:43 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:03 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:47 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:40 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 6:56 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:16 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:58 PM | 8h 56m |
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 Number Four Fire Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:53 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:49 AM – 4:29 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:08 PM – 2:48 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 1:35 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:58 PM – 11:28 PM | 1.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 9:32 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.81 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (84%). 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 | 60 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 93 | 94 | 90 | 89 | 81 | 71 | 64 |
| Low °F | -27 | -20 | -19 | 4 | 26 | 34 | 44 | 45 | 32 | 20 | -6 | -14 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Number Four Fire Tower, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Number Four Fire Tower?
What time is golden hour at Number Four Fire Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Number Four Fire Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Number Four Fire Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Number Four Fire Tower?
How far is Number Four Fire Tower from Lowville?
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.