Rose Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota at about 463 m (1,519 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 40 km (25 mi) N of Grand Marais.
Rose Lake is a lake on the border between Cook County, Minnesota and Ontario.From the Wikipedia article “Rose Lake (Pigeon River)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Rose Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (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) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:02 AM | 52° NE | 9:06 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:50 AM | 126° SE | 5:11 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 | 8:13 AM | 8:48 AM | 9:39 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:11 PM | 8h 48m |
| February | 7:37 AM | 8:09 AM | 8:54 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:56 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 4:46 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 5:02 AM | 5:51 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:45 PM | 16h 02m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 41m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:46 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 7:35 AM | 8:09 AM | 8:57 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 16m |
| December | 8:10 AM | 8:46 AM | 9:40 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:46 PM | 8h 23m |
Local time (America/Atikokan), 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 Rose 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 | 3:38 AM – 4:08 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:40 AM – 2:50 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:19 AM – 1:39 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:45 PM – 12:45 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 10:43 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 ≈ 21.95 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 July as the clearest month (about 56% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 35 | 40 | 76 | 74 | 84 | 90 | 98 | 96 | 90 | 78 | 65 | 40 |
| Low °F | -43 | -36 | -25 | 4 | 21 | 31 | 41 | 37 | 26 | 10 | -10 | -37 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Rose Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Flour Lake Campground6.0 km (3.7 mi) · reservable
- East Bearskin Lake Campground7.9 km (4.9 mi) · reservable
- Iron Lake15.2 km (9.4 mi) · reservable
- Two Island Lake Campground25 km (16 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Rose Lake?
What time is golden hour at Rose Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Rose Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Rose Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Rose Lake?
How far is Rose Lake from Grand Marais?
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.