Big Bog State Recreation Area — a state park in Beltrami County, Minnesota — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 46 km (29 mi) NE of Redby.
Big Bog State Recreation Area, a recent addition to the Minnesota state park system, is located on Minnesota State Highway 72, north of Waskish, Minnesota. It covers 9,459 acres (38.3 km2), primarily swamps, bogs, and upland "islands". The park was started by local grassroots efforts in 2002, it became a state recreation area and officially opened in June 2006. The "Big Bog" is composed mostly of wetlands. The name was not widely used but had shown up previously in maps, such as by the National Geographic Society. The greater Big Bog region stretches from jackpine forests north of Upper Red Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota and Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota to the communities along U.S. Route 71 leading to International Falls (Mizpah, Gemmell, Margie, Big Falls, and Littlefork) in Koochiching County, Minnesota. This includes much of the Pine Island State Forest and two...From the Wikipedia article “Big Bog State Recreation Area”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Big Bog State Recreation Area 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) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:18 AM | 52° NE | 9:23 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:07 AM | 126° SE | 4:27 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 20m |
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 | 7:29 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:55 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:27 PM | 8h 47m |
| February | 6:54 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 14m |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:13 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:54 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:21 PM | 10:02 PM | 16h 03m |
| July | 4:54 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:28 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:55 PM | 15h 41m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:04 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:07 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:31 PM | 7:02 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 15m |
| December | 7:26 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:57 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:25 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 22m |
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 Big Bog State Recreation Area, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 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 | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:55 AM – 4:25 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:59 AM – 2:59 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:44 AM – 1:44 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 12:05 AM – 12:55 AM | 0.8 | 12° | 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 | — | -5° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.94 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 | 46 | 78 | 81 | 89 | 93 | 102 | 100 | 92 | 81 | 68 | 39 |
| Low °F | -45 | -39 | -31 | 4 | 23 | 34 | 44 | 37 | 23 | 11 | -8 | -37 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 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 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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Big Bog State Recreation Area?
What time is golden hour at Big Bog State Recreation Area?
Where does the sun rise and set at Big Bog State Recreation Area?
Can you see the Milky Way from Big Bog State Recreation Area?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Big Bog State Recreation Area?
How far is Big Bog State Recreation Area from Redby?
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.