Located in Tucker County, West Virginia, Olson Observation Tower is a fire lookout. The nearest town is Parsons, about 6.8 km (4.2 mi) away (Olson Observation Tower lies E of town).
Olson Observation Tower is one of the few remaining fire towers in Monongahela National Forest. Olson is located at the southern end of Backbone Mountain northeast of Parsons in Tucker County, West Virginia. The southern end of Backbone Mountain is the site of West Virginia's first fire tower, originally built by the state in 1922. This tower was later given to Monongahela National Forest, which replaced it in 1963 with the current tower. The current tower is constructed of steel and features 133 steps leading to a cab on top. While the cab is not open to the public, the entire walkway up to the top is accessible. The tower provides 360-degree views of the surrounding area including the Cheat River watershed, Parsons, Blackwater Canyon, Canaan Mountain, Backbone Mountain and the Otter Creek Wilderness. Olson Tower is named after Ernst B. Olson in recognition of 28 years of fire...From the Wikipedia article “Olson Observation Tower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Olson Observation Tower the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:23 AM | 90° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:53 AM | 59° ENE | 8:49 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:07 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:35 AM | 120° ESE | 5:00 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 25m |
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 | 7:07 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 7:04 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 54m |
| July | 5:34 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:44 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 39m |
| August | 6:04 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:02 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:34 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 26m |
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 Olson Observation Tower, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:25 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:54 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:30 AM – 5:00 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:32 AM – 4:12 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:45 PM – 3:45 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:38 PM – 2:28 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 12:24 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:59 PM – 10:19 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:10 PM – 8:20 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.69 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 (78%). 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 | 66 | 70 | 77 | 85 | 87 | 90 | 97 | 94 | 93 | 89 | 74 | 72 |
| Low °F | -10 | -7 | -8 | 19 | 23 | 36 | 45 | 44 | 34 | 20 | 6 | 2 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Olson Observation Tower, closest first.
Canyon
Waterfall
Waterfall
Wilderness Area
Ghost Town
State ParkGhost Town
Mountain Peak
National Wildlife RefugeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Horseshoe Recreation Area8.2 km (5.1 mi) · reservable
- Bear Heaven Campground21 km (13 mi)
- Stuart Recreation Area26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Red Creek Campground26 km (16 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Olson Observation Tower?
What time is golden hour at Olson Observation Tower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Olson Observation Tower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Olson Observation Tower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Olson Observation Tower?
How far is Olson Observation Tower from Parsons?
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.