Located in Randolph County, Illinois, Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge. It sits roughly 8.3 km (5.2 mi) W of Chester.
The Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge is located on the Mississippi River downstream from St. Louis, Missouri. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge Complex. The refuge consists of three parcels of Mississippi River bottomland, nearly all of it wetland. They are Meissner Island, near Valmeyer, Illinois; Harlow Island, near Festus, Missouri; and Wilkinson Island, near Gorham, Illinois. The Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge has a local headquarters at Rockwood, Illinois, in Randolph County. In all, the refuge is located in parts of Jackson, Monroe, and Randolph counties in Illinois, and Jefferson and Perry counties in Missouri. The refuge relies for much of its staffing on the nearby Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge near Carbondale, Illinois.From the Wikipedia article “Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:04 AM | 90° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:38 AM | 59° ENE | 8:26 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 120° ESE | 4:44 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 32m |
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
Wildlife is most active in the first and last two hours of daylight — exactly when the light is warmest.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:46 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 49m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:21 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 13m |
| June | 5:06 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 47m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 33m |
| August | 5:48 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 39m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 08m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 33m |
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 Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° 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 | 4:57 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:05 AM – 5:35 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:09 AM – 4:49 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:09 AM – 3:59 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:20 PM – 3:40 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:14 PM – 2:14 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:33 PM – 12:13 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:39 PM – 10:09 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:51 PM – 8:11 PM | 0.3 | 13° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.24 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ 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 44% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (65%). 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 | 71 | 73 | 79 | 85 | 89 | 108 | 108 | 105 | 100 | 92 | 80 | 72 |
| Low °F | -2 | -2 | 6 | 22 | 35 | 45 | 53 | 50 | 40 | 25 | 13 | -2 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.9 |
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 national wildlife refuge
- Migration peaks bring the largest concentrations — see the birding calendar for this state.
- Use auto-loop roads as mobile blinds; animals often tolerate vehicles more than people on foot.
- Stay on designated routes and keep a respectful distance — if an animal changes behavior, you are too close.
- A 400–600 mm lens (or a crop body) is the usual tool for birds.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring and autumn migration are the highlights; winter brings waterfowl to many southern refuges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens (400 mm+), Bean bag for car window, Binoculars. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Launching or landing drones on National Wildlife Refuge lands generally requires a special use permit from the refuge manager, and wildlife disturbance rules apply everywhere.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Middle Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge, closest first.
State Park
State Park
Covered Bridge
Natural Arch
State ParkNatural ArchFAQ
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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.