Located in Franklin County, Vermont, Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge. It sits roughly 6.4 km (4.0 mi) NNW of Swanton.
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. state of Vermont located on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain and the southern side of Missisquoi Bay. The refuge is in Franklin County in the northwest corner of the state near the International Boundary with Canada. The refuge was established on February 4, 1943, under the authority of the Migratory Bird Conservation Act. The initial acquisition was 1,582 acres (6.4 km2) of land in the Missisquoi River delta, including Shad Island and Big Marsh Slough. Additional land is acquired from willing sellers. The refuge's current size is 7,232 acres (27 km2). It was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2013. It is the only National Wildlife Refuge located entirely in Vermont and is administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. It is located in the towns of Swanton and...From the Wikipedia article “Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 55° NE | 8:44 PM | 305° NW | 68° | 15h 37m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:40 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:29 AM | 123° ESE | 4:15 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 46m |
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 | 6:55 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:15 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 09m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 26m |
| March | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:48 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:51 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 35m |
| July | 4:45 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 17m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 06m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:39 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:36 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 34m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:13 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:46 PM | 8h 48m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Missisquoi 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 | 4:57 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:56 AM – 4:16 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:54 AM – 3:14 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:15 PM – 2:25 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:59 PM – 1:09 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:56 PM – 11:06 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 9:07 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 ≈ 21.8 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 56% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 55 | 63 | 74 | 79 | 86 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 91 | 79 | 70 | 60 |
| Low °F | -29 | -27 | -18 | 8 | 27 | 36 | 43 | 45 | 32 | 23 | -7 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
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 Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, closest first.
Waterfall
Lighthouse
LighthouseLighthouse
State Park
Lighthouse
State Park
Covered Bridge
LighthouseFAQ
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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.