Located in Lake County, Minnesota, Palisade Head is a rock formation. It sits roughly 4.2 km (2.6 mi) NE of Silver Bay.
Palisade Head is a headland on the North Shore of Lake Superior in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is part of Tettegouche State Park but not contiguous with the rest of that park. Palisade Head is located at milepost 57 on scenic Minnesota State Highway 61 in Lake County, approximately 54 miles (87 km) northeast of Duluth and three miles (4.8 km) northeast of Silver Bay.From the Wikipedia article “Palisade Head”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Palisade Head the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:09 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:09 AM | 53° NE | 9:06 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:50 AM | 125° SE | 4:18 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 28m |
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
Rock towers and buttes glow red and orange in the first and last half-hour of sun; midday light flattens their shape.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:14 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:38 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:16 PM | 8h 54m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:29 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 6:48 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:45 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 06m |
| June | 4:28 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:57 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 55m |
| July | 4:46 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:37 PM | 15h 34m |
| August | 5:28 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 16m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 21m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:38 AM | 3:23 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:51 PM | 8h 30m |
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 Palisade Head, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | 5:33 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:27 AM – 4:17 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:36 AM – 3:06 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:03 AM – 2:03 AM | 2.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:37 PM – 12:57 AM | 1.3 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:21 PM – 11:01 PM | 0.7 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ 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 62% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 41 | 44 | 69 | 76 | 80 | 85 | 95 | 91 | 87 | 78 | 66 | 45 |
| Low °F | -29 | -25 | -23 | 8 | 23 | 32 | 42 | 40 | 30 | 17 | -5 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
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 rock formation
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- Use the sunrise and sunset azimuths below to know which face will be lit.
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Palisade Head, closest first.
State Park
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Fire Lookout
Lighthouse
Scenic Viewpoint
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Palisade Head?
What time is golden hour at Palisade Head?
Where does the sun rise and set at Palisade Head?
Can you see the Milky Way from Palisade Head?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Palisade Head?
How far is Palisade Head from Silver Bay?
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.