Located in Mississippi County, Arkansas, Herman Davis State Park is a state park. The nearest town is Manila, about 800 m away (Herman Davis State Park lies S of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Herman Davis State Park is a 1-acre (0.40 ha) state park in Manila, Arkansas, United States. The park includes the grave of and a memorial to Herman Davis (1888-1923), a U.S. sniper during World War I. The park is located at the junction of Baltimore Avenue and Arkansas Highway 18, south of the city center. It consists of a grassy area, with a concrete walk leading to the memorial. The memorial is a granite obelisk, 25 feet (7.6 m) in height, in front of which stands a full-size granite likeness of Davis in his infantry uniform. Davis' remains are buried just behind the monument. Davis is also honored with a fountain on the grounds of the Old State House in Little Rock. The fountain was a part of the Arkansas exhibition at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. In 1954, the three-tiered iron fountain was renamed the Herman Davis Memorial Fountain. Davis, a native of...From the Wikipedia article “Herman Davis State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Herman Davis State Park 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 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:45 AM | 60° ENE | 8:21 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:08 AM | 119° ESE | 4:51 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 43m |
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
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:38 PM | 10h 00m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 5:28 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 04m |
| June | 5:15 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 35m |
| July | 5:27 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 22m |
| August | 5:53 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:42 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:15 AM | 4:17 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 17m |
| December | 6:36 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 44m |
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 Herman Davis State Park, 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:49 AM – 5:19 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:54 AM – 5:44 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:54 AM – 4:54 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:00 AM – 4:10 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:08 PM – 3:48 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:03 PM – 2:23 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:26 PM – 12:26 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:36 PM – 10:26 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:52 PM – 8:22 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| 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 ≈ 20.53 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 40% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 74 | 77 | 82 | 93 | 93 | 105 | 107 | 110 | 100 | 96 | 85 | 77 |
| Low °F | 6 | 6 | 7 | 23 | 34 | 53 | 59 | 54 | 43 | 28 | 18 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 5.4 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.9 |
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 state park
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.
Suggested gear: Versatile zoom lens, Tripod, Park pass. 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Herman Davis State Park, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
Ghost Town
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Herman Davis State Park?
What time is golden hour at Herman Davis State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Herman Davis State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Herman Davis State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Herman Davis State Park?
How far is Herman Davis State Park from Manila?
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.