Christmas Lake — a lake in Hennepin County, Minnesota at about 285 m (935 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Excelsior, about 2.1 km (1.3 mi) away (Christmas Lake lies ESE of town).
Christmas Lake is a spring-fed lake covering approximately 265 acres (1.1 km2) in the western Minneapolis suburbs of Shorewood and Chanhassen. The lake is crossed by the border of Hennepin and Carver counties, with most of the area lying within the jurisdiction of the former. Christmas Lake is known for its exceptional water clarity, the best in the Minneapolis metropolitan area, with a DNR-reported clarity level of 20 feet (6.10 m). This clarity can be attributed to the fact that Christmas Lake is a spring fed lake with a sandy bottom. Although relatively small in area, Christmas Lake becomes deep (its maximum depth is 87 ft (27 m)) very quickly, forming the basin of a depression that extends all along "the Ridge" (the rim of the lake's basin). The steep nature of the shoreline means that many houses are built far above the lake with railed motorized carts to provide access to the...From the Wikipedia article “Christmas Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Christmas 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 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:18 AM | 90° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:29 AM | 55° NE | 9:05 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:50 AM | 123° ESE | 4:36 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 47m |
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 | 7:17 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:36 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 10m |
| February | 6:46 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 27m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:00 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 5:12 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:51 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:13 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 35m |
| July | 5:07 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 16m |
| August | 5:45 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 05m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:01 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:31 PM | 7:00 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 35m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:35 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:08 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 Christmas 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 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | 5:18 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:17 AM – 4:37 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:15 AM – 3:25 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:36 PM – 2:46 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:20 PM – 1:30 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:17 PM – 11:27 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:07 PM – 9:27 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.42 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 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Christmas Lake, closest first.
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Scenic Viewpoint
Botanical Garden
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BeachFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Christmas Lake?
What time is golden hour at Christmas Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Christmas Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Christmas Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Christmas Lake?
How far is Christmas Lake from Excelsior?
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.