Located in Big Stone County, Minnesota, Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge. The nearest town is Ortonville, about 9.9 km (6.2 mi) away (Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge lies SE of town).
Straddling the headwaters of the Minnesota River in west-central Minnesota, Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge is within the heart of the tallgrass prairie's historic range. Today, less than one-percent of tallgrass prairie remains. Big Stone Refuge serves as the "keeper of the prairie" by working to maintain and restore native prairie habitat while providing optimum nesting cover for waterfowl and other grassland nesting birds. The refuge contains 11,521 acres (46.62 km2): 1,028 acres in Big Stone County and 10,493 acres (42.46 km2) in Lac qui Parle County. The refuge is located in Minnesota's 7th congressional district. The primary refuge purposes stated in authorizing documents are flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife conservation. The refuge's principal objective is to provide optimum nesting cover for ground-nesting waterfowl production.From the Wikipedia article “Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:29 AM | 90° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:39 AM | 55° NE | 9:17 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 39m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:02 AM | 124° ESE | 4:46 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 44m |
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 | 7:29 AM | 8:02 AM | 8:48 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 08m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:24 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 7:10 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:18 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:01 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 5:22 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:23 PM | 14h 52m |
| June | 5:00 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:30 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:53 PM | 15h 38m |
| July | 5:17 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:37 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:47 PM | 15h 18m |
| August | 5:55 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 6:35 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:08 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:22 AM | 6:02 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:11 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:53 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 33m |
| December | 7:25 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:48 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:18 PM | 8h 46m |
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 Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:30 AM – 5:50 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:29 AM – 4:49 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:28 AM – 3:38 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:50 PM – 3:00 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:33 PM – 1:43 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:29 PM – 11:39 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:19 PM – 9:39 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.87 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 47% 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 | 50 | 63 | 81 | 91 | 97 | 101 | 109 | 105 | 98 | 89 | 74 | 53 |
| Low °F | -44 | -24 | -22 | 5 | 23 | 43 | 46 | 42 | 31 | 7 | -6 | -26 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 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 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.
- Fast shutter speeds (1/2000 s+) freeze wingbeats; raise ISO rather than lose the shot.
- 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 Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge?
What time is golden hour at Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge?
Where does the sun rise and set at Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge?
Can you see the Milky Way from Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge?
How far is Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge from Ortonville?
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.