Located in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hidden Falls is a waterfall. It sits roughly 4.5 km (2.8 mi) SE of Longfellow Community.
Hidden Falls is a waterfall along the Mississippi River bluffs in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. The waterfall is within Hidden Falls Regional Park, a public park maintained by the City of Saint Paul. The main feature of the park is the small, spring-fed waterfall for which the park is named. The waterfall may be dry in periods of limited precipitation.From the Wikipedia article “Hidden Falls (Saint Paul, Minnesota)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hidden Falls the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:17 AM | 90° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:27 AM | 55° NE | 9:03 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 123° ESE | 4:35 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 46m |
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
Waterfalls photograph best in soft, even light: overcast days, deep shade, or the hour after sunrise before direct sun hits the water. Bright sun on white water blows highlights and adds harsh contrast.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:15 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 10m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 27m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 35m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 16m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 05m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 35m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:07 PM | 8h 48m |
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 Hidden Falls, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:17 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:16 AM – 4:36 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:14 AM – 3:24 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:35 PM – 2:45 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:19 PM – 1:29 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:16 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:06 PM – 9:26 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 18.41 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 46% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (69%). 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 | 50 | 61 | 80 | 89 | 96 | 96 | 107 | 100 | 96 | 87 | 78 | 61 |
| Low °F | -37 | -27 | -23 | 4 | 24 | 41 | 46 | 43 | 32 | 12 | -4 | -24 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 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 waterfall
- A 3-stop ND filter lets you use slow shutter speeds even when the light is bright.
- Shoot a vertical and a horizontal frame; tall falls often work better in portrait orientation.
- Use 1/4 to 1 second for a silky look; 1/500 s or faster freezes individual drops.
- A circular polarizer cuts glare on wet rocks and leaves and deepens greens — rotate it while watching the rocks, not the sky.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Peak flow is usually in late spring; autumn adds color around the falls, and winter can bring ice formations at colder locations.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, 3–6 stop ND filter, Lens cloth, Waterproof footwear. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Hidden Falls, closest first.
Waterfall
State Park
Waterfall
Lake
Lake
National Wildlife Refuge
Lake
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hidden Falls?
What time is golden hour at Hidden Falls?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hidden Falls?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hidden Falls?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hidden Falls?
How far is Hidden Falls from Longfellow Community?
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.