Located in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Wabasha Street Caves is a cave. It lies in or next to Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Saint Paul, about 1.1 km (0.7 mi) away (Wabasha Street Caves lies SSE of town).
The Wabasha Street Caves are a series of manmade caves dug into St Peter sandstone cliffs on the south side (west bank) of the Mississippi River in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The caves are in the city's West Side neighborhood, just across the river from Downtown Saint Paul. The caves have been used for storage, growing mushrooms, as a mobster hideout, as speakeasies, and as an entertainment and tourist venue. For the past 30 years, they have hosted Swing Night every Thursday night with professional live Big Bands and vocalists, playing music of the old Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Duke Ellington Big Bands. Dances are open to the public and draw crowds in the hundreds. The Wabasha Street Caves also provide historical tours and Murder Mystery Tours.From the Wikipedia article “Wabasha Street Caves”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Wabasha Street Caves 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) | 7:16 AM | 90° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:27 AM | 55° NE | 9:03 PM | 305° NW | 68° | 15h 37m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 123° ESE | 4:34 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
Caves are lit artificially — show caves have fixed lighting, so a fast lens and high ISO beat flash, which flattens formations.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:15 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 10m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 26m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 5:10 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 35m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 16m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 05m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 34m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 48m |
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 Wabasha Street Caves, 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 8 (city sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:16 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:15 AM – 4:35 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:13 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:34 PM – 2:44 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:18 PM – 1:28 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:15 PM – 11:25 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:25 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: 8 Bortle 8 — City sky. Only bright constellations are visible; the sky glows orange or white. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.27 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 46% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (69%). 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 | 61 | 80 | 89 | 96 | 96 | 107 | 100 | 96 | 87 | 78 | 61 |
| Low °F | -37 | -27 | -23 | 4 | 24 | 41 | 46 | 43 | 32 | 12 | -4 | -24 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.2 |
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 cave
- Never touch formations — skin oils stop their growth.
- Follow White-nose Syndrome decontamination rules where posted to protect bats.
- Many show caves restrict tripods on tours; ask in advance or bring a small beanbag.
- Use manual focus with focus peaking in low light.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Cave interiors stay at a constant temperature year-round; summer tours fill up, so book ahead.
Suggested gear: Fast lens (f/1.8–f/2.8), High-ISO camera, Small beanbag. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Wabasha Street Caves, closest first.
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LakeFAQ
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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.