Rice Lake — a ghost town in Steele County, Minnesota — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 14.7 km (9.1 mi) ENE of Owatonna.
Rice Lake is a ghost town in Dodge and Steele counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is located east of Owatonna, and just north of Rice Lake State Park. The nearest community is the city of Claremont, to the southeast. The Dodge County portion lies in the southwest corner of Ellington Township, while the Steele County portion lies in the southeast corner of Merton Township. Havana Township and Claremont Township are also in the immediate area.From the Wikipedia article “Rice Lake (ghost town), Minnesota”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Rice Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (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 69° 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 | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:30 AM | 56° NE | 9:00 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:45 AM | 123° ESE | 4:37 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:13 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:14 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:13 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:53 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:13 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 11m |
| August | 5:45 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:58 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:08 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:29 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 8h 54m |
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 Rice Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:05 AM – 5:45 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:01 AM – 4:41 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:06 AM – 3:36 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:22 PM – 3:02 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:08 PM – 1:38 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:10 PM – 11:40 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 9:33 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.21 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 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 ghost town
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Rice Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Rice Lake?
What time is golden hour at Rice Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Rice Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Rice Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Rice Lake?
How far is Rice Lake from Owatonna?
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.