Bear Head Lake State Park — a state park in Saint Louis County, Minnesota — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 13.5 km (8.4 mi) NW of Babbitt.
Bear Head Lake State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, providing ready access to outdoor recreation in the Boundary Waters region. It boasts scenery similar to the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, with the added conveniences of road access, modern facilities, and motorboating. The most popular visitor activities are boating, fishing, swimming, and hiking. The park entirely surrounds 670-acre (270 ha) Bear Head Lake and three other fishing lakes. It was established in 1961 in Saint Louis County near Ely, Minnesota. The park also contains the woodlands surrounding the lakes, which gives an entire total of about 5,540 acres. The park also shares a large border with Bear Island State Forest.From the Wikipedia article “Bear Head Lake State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bear Head Lake State Park 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 308° (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) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 53° NE | 9:11 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:55 AM | 125° SE | 4:19 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 24m |
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
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:18 PM | 8h 50m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 16m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 09m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:58 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 59m |
| July | 4:47 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:13 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 38m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 19m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:53 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 18m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:45 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:53 PM | 8h 26m |
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 Bear Head Lake State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.7 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 | 3:43 AM – 4:13 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:44 AM – 3:04 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:18 AM – 1:58 AM | 1.7 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:47 PM – 12:57 AM | 1.2 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:27 PM – 10:57 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.9 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 39 | 45 | 75 | 77 | 87 | 90 | 101 | 96 | 91 | 79 | 67 | 43 |
| Low °F | -45 | -35 | -36 | 4 | 22 | 32 | 41 | 37 | 24 | 8 | -9 | -36 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 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 state park
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Trail maps often mark overlooks — combine them with the sun azimuth to plan.
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.
Suggested gear: Versatile zoom lens, Tripod, Park pass. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Bear Head Lake State Park, closest first.
Fire Lookout
Scenic Viewpoint
State Park
Lake
Lake
State Park
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Birch Lake Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Fenske Lake Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- South Kawishiwi River25 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bear Head Lake State Park?
What time is golden hour at Bear Head Lake State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bear Head Lake State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bear Head Lake State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bear Head Lake State Park?
How far is Bear Head Lake State Park from Babbitt?
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.