Located in Grand Forks County, North Dakota, Turtle River State Park is a state park. The nearest town is Grand Forks Air Force Base, about 9.0 km (5.6 mi) away (Turtle River State Park lies WSW of town).
Turtle River State Park is a public recreation area occupying 775 acres (314 ha) on the Turtle River, two miles (3.2 km) north of the community of Arvilla in Grand Forks County, North Dakota. Park activities include camping, cross-country skiing, fishing, hiking, and mountain biking.From the Wikipedia article “Turtle River State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Turtle River State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:34 AM | 89° E | 7:43 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:31 AM | 53° NE | 9:34 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:17 AM | 89° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:18 AM | 125° SE | 4:40 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 23m |
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 | 7:40 AM | 8:15 AM | 9:06 AM | 4:14 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:40 PM | 8h 49m |
| February | 7:05 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:25 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:06 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 5:15 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 10m |
| June | 4:50 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:20 AM | 8:43 PM | 9:32 PM | 10:13 PM | 16h 01m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:34 AM | 8:39 PM | 9:26 PM | 10:05 PM | 15h 39m |
| August | 5:52 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 19m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:16 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:18 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:32 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:14 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 7:03 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:25 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 17m |
| December | 7:37 AM | 8:14 AM | 9:07 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:15 PM | 8h 24m |
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 Turtle River State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. June gives the longest window (about 1.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 4:06 AM – 4:36 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:08 AM – 3:18 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:47 AM – 2:07 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 12:13 AM – 1:13 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:51 PM – 11:11 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.84 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 46 | 57 | 79 | 86 | 93 | 101 | 108 | 102 | 99 | 85 | 70 | 46 |
| Low °F | -44 | -31 | -25 | 4 | 22 | 36 | 43 | 38 | 29 | 12 | -8 | -31 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
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 Turtle River State Park, closest first.
National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge
State ParkNational Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Turtle River State Park?
What time is golden hour at Turtle River State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Turtle River State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Turtle River State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Turtle River State Park?
How far is Turtle River State Park from Grand Forks Air Force Base?
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.