Silver Lake — a lake in Olmsted County, Minnesota at about 297 m (974 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 1.7 km (1.1 mi) NE of Rochester.
Silver Lake is a small, freshwater reservoir in southeastern Minnesota.From the Wikipedia article “Silver Lake (Rochester, Minnesota)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Silver 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 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 56° NE | 8:57 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:42 AM | 123° ESE | 4:35 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 53m |
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 | 7:10 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:28 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:51 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 5:06 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:26 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:26 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 55m |
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 Silver 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 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:03 AM – 5:43 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:59 AM – 4:39 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:04 AM – 3:34 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:20 PM – 3:00 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:06 PM – 1:36 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:08 PM – 11:38 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:01 PM – 9:31 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: 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 ≈ 18.55 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 47% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 48 | 57 | 78 | 84 | 92 | 93 | 104 | 98 | 95 | 83 | 73 | 62 |
| Low °F | -36 | -28 | -24 | 7 | 25 | 39 | 47 | 42 | 32 | 13 | -5 | -30 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
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
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Silver Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Silver Lake?
What time is golden hour at Silver Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Silver Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Silver Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Silver Lake?
How far is Silver Lake from Rochester?
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.