Blue Mounds State Park is a state park in Rock County, Minnesota. It sits roughly 7.3 km (4.5 mi) NNE of Luverne.
Blue Mounds State Park is a state park in Rock County, Minnesota, United States, near the town of Luverne. It protects an American bison herd which grazes on one of the state's largest prairie remnants. The state park is named after a linear escarpment of Precambrian Sioux Quartzite bedrock which, although pink in color, is said to have appeared blueish in the distance to early settlers. Parts of the cliff are up to 100 feet (30 m) high. Unusual in the surrounding prairie landscape, they are a popular site for rock climbing. The park also preserves a 1,250-foot-long (380 m) line of rocks aligned by Plains Indians which marks where the sun rises and sets on the spring and fall equinoxes. It also has a small reservoir for swimming, the only lake in Rock County. The park's interpretive center was once the home of the author Frederick Manfred. Four structures and one building in the...From the Wikipedia article “Blue Mounds State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Blue Mounds State Park 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 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:29 AM | 90° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:44 AM | 56° NE | 9:11 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:56 AM | 123° ESE | 4:51 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 55m |
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 | 7:24 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:41 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:09 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:00 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:38 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:27 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 5:07 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 26m |
| July | 5:23 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 5:59 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:36 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:11 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:19 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:12 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:17 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:20 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:39 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:22 PM | 8h 57m |
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 Blue Mounds State Park, 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:17 AM – 5:57 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:13 AM – 4:53 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:17 AM – 3:47 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:32 PM – 3:12 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:19 PM – 1:59 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:22 PM – 11:52 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:15 PM – 9:55 PM | 0.7 | 14° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.5 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 44% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (66%). 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 | 51 | 68 | 83 | 90 | 93 | 101 | 108 | 103 | 98 | 88 | 76 | 56 |
| Low °F | -34 | -23 | -20 | 6 | 24 | 43 | 48 | 43 | 33 | 11 | 0 | -17 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
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
- 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.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Blue Mounds State Park, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
State Park
WaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Blue Mounds State Park?
What time is golden hour at Blue Mounds State Park?
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How far is Blue Mounds State Park from Luverne?
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.