Bennett Lake is a lake in Ramsey County, Minnesota at about 270 m (886 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Roseville, about 1.8 km (1.1 mi) away (Bennett Lake lies NE of town).
Bennett Lake is a lake located in Roseville, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities. It occupies 28 acres (11 ha) acres and is known for its shore fishing. The lake is adjacent to Roseville Central Park, the city's largest park. A 2005 shore restoration project led to improved water quality, and the nearby Prince of Peace Lutheran Church has constructed rain gardens to restrict the flow of surface runoff into the lake. The lake is home to several species of fish, including black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, and pumpkinseed.From the Wikipedia article “Bennett Lake (Minnesota)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bennett Lake 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) | 7:17 AM | 90° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:27 AM | 55° NE | 9:04 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) | 7:49 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
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:15 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:35 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 09m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:15 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 | 7:19 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 5:10 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 51m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 36m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 17m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 06m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 34m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:34 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 47m |
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 Bennett Lake, 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 | 5:17 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:16 AM – 4:36 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:14 AM – 3:24 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:35 PM – 2:45 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:19 PM – 1:29 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:16 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:06 PM – 9:26 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 ≈ 18.24 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 49% 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 | 46 | 62 | 81 | 87 | 91 | 95 | 106 | 100 | 95 | 84 | 72 | 50 |
| Low °F | -40 | -28 | -29 | 2 | 24 | 40 | 47 | 43 | 31 | 9 | -7 | -27 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 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 lake
- For mirror reflections, get low and close to the water; the reflection grows with a lower camera.
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, Wide-angle lens, Waterproof boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Bennett Lake, closest first.
Lake
Botanical Garden
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Lake
Botanical Garden
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Waterfall
Waterfall
CaveFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bennett Lake?
What time is golden hour at Bennett Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bennett Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bennett Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bennett Lake?
How far is Bennett Lake from Roseville?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.