Forestville — a ghost town in Fillmore County, Minnesota — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park. The nearest town is Preston, about 8.6 km (5.3 mi) away (Forestville lies W of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Forestville is a ghost town in section 13 of Forestville Township in Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. The nearest communities are Wykoff, to the northwest, and Preston, to the northeast.From the Wikipedia article “Forestville, Minnesota”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Forestville 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 304° (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) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 56° NE | 8:55 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:40 AM | 123° ESE | 4:35 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 55m |
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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:08 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:25 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:51 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:07 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:33 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:47 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:23 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 57m |
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 Forestville, 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 3 (rural sky), 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:01 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:57 AM – 4:37 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:01 AM – 3:31 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:16 PM – 2:56 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:03 PM – 1:43 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:06 PM – 11:36 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:59 PM – 9:39 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.65 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 47% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 49 | 61 | 77 | 83 | 92 | 96 | 102 | 99 | 92 | 82 | 73 | 63 |
| Low °F | -35 | -21 | -20 | 9 | 25 | 39 | 46 | 41 | 31 | 19 | 0 | -28 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 1.6 |
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 ghost town
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Forestville, closest first.
Cave
Scenic Viewpoint
Cave
CaveFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Forestville?
What time is golden hour at Forestville?
Where does the sun rise and set at Forestville?
Can you see the Milky Way from Forestville?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Forestville?
How far is Forestville from Preston?
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.