Located in Warren County, North Carolina, Warren County Fire Tower is a fire lookout. The nearest town is Norlina, about 12.8 km (8.0 mi) away (Warren County Fire Tower lies SE of town). Its recorded tower height is about 100 m (328 ft). It dates from 1932. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Warren County Fire Tower is a historic fire tower located near Liberia, Warren County, North Carolina. It was built in 1932, by the Aermotor Company of Chicago, Illinois.From the Wikipedia article “Warren County Fire Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Warren County Fire Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:17 AM | 90° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:56 AM | 60° ENE | 8:34 PM | 300° WNW | 77° | 14h 38m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 119° ESE | 5:02 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 41m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 57m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 52m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 07m |
| May | 5:38 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 06m |
| June | 5:25 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 37m |
| July | 5:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 24m |
| August | 6:04 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 34m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:38 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:33 PM | 10h 15m |
| December | 6:49 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:19 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 42m |
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 Warren County Fire Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:00 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:15 AM – 5:55 AM | 1.7 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:07 AM – 5:07 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:13 AM – 4:23 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:22 PM – 4:02 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:17 PM – 2:37 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:39 PM – 12:29 AM | 2.8 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:48 PM – 10:28 PM | 1.7 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:03 PM – 8:33 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.48 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (58%). 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 | 73 | 77 | 84 | 89 | 95 | 105 | 105 | 104 | 100 | 101 | 82 | 76 |
| Low °F | 7 | 4 | -2 | 24 | 35 | 47 | 56 | 53 | 41 | 27 | 19 | 5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 |
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Warren County Fire Tower, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Warren County Fire Tower?
What time is golden hour at Warren County Fire Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Warren County Fire Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Warren County Fire Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Warren County Fire Tower?
How far is Warren County Fire Tower from Norlina?
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.