Located in Beltrami County, Minnesota, Red Lake is a lake. The nearest town is Red Lake, about 22 km (14 mi) away (Red Lake lies N of town).
Red Lake (translated from the Ojibwe language Miskwaagamiiwi-zaaga'igan: Lake with its liquid [water] be colored red) is a lake in Beltrami County in northern Minnesota. It is the largest natural freshwater lake located entirely within Minnesota, and the 16th largest lake in the United States. The lake is separated into two sections by a peninsula on the eastern side that almost bisects it in the middle. The community of Ponemah lies on the peninsula. The two parts of the lake are known as Upper Red Lake and Lower Red Lake. Lower Red Lake lies entirely within the Red Lake Indian Reservation. The western half of Upper Red Lake is included within the reservation boundary. Total size is 444 square miles (1,150 km2), with a maximum depth of 33 feet (10 m) in the lower portion of the lake. The elevation of the lake is maintained by a dam at the outflow that is the beginning of Red Lake...From the Wikipedia article “Red Lake (Minnesota)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Red Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:24 AM | 89° E | 7:33 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:21 AM | 53° NE | 9:24 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:07 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:08 AM | 126° SE | 4:30 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 21m |
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 | 7:31 AM | 8:06 AM | 8:57 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:29 PM | 8h 48m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:57 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:43 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 5:05 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:28 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:34 PM | 9:22 PM | 10:04 PM | 16h 02m |
| July | 4:57 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:29 PM | 9:17 PM | 9:56 PM | 15h 40m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:27 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:09 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:23 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:33 PM | 7:04 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:54 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:16 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 16m |
| December | 7:28 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:58 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:04 PM | 8h 23m |
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 Red Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. June gives the longest window (about 1.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:56 AM – 4:26 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:58 AM – 3:08 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:37 AM – 1:57 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 12:03 AM – 1:03 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:41 PM – 11:01 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 52% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (71%). 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 | 40 | 49 | 78 | 83 | 88 | 92 | 100 | 101 | 92 | 84 | 69 | 42 |
| Low °F | -47 | -42 | -35 | 2 | 22 | 35 | 42 | 36 | 24 | 11 | -9 | -40 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Red Lake?
What time is golden hour at Red Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Red Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Red Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Red Lake?
How far is Red Lake from Red Lake?
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.