Lake Forest is a city of about 19,408 people in Lake County, Illinois, at 210 m (689 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:10 AM and sets at 6:03 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:25 PM – 6:21 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:18 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 26m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:31 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 35m |
| June | 5:15 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 15m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 58m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:32 AM | 7:09 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:31 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 07m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Lake Forest
At Lake Forest the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near Lake Forest
51 photo locations lie within 80 km of Lake Forest. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
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State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
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LighthouseBeaches
Botanical Gardens
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Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Lake Forest is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Bourbonais, about 180 km (112 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bourbonais | Ghost Town | 180 km (112 mi) | 3 |
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | State Park | 182 km (113 mi) | 3 |
| Millville | Ghost Town | 183 km (114 mi) | 3 |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | State Park | 183 km (114 mi) | 3 |
| Yellowstone Lake State Park | State Park | 184 km (114 mi) | 3 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 186 km (115 mi) | 3 |
| Little Sable Point Light | Lighthouse | 188 km (117 mi) | 3 |
| Silver Lake Sand Dunes | Sand Dunes | 190 km (118 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:31 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:24 AM – 4:24 AM | 2.0 | 18° |
| May | 12:33 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.8 | 19° |
| June | 10:43 PM – 2:53 AM | 4.2 | 19° |
| July | 10:33 PM – 1:33 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:31 PM | 1.8 | 18° |
| September | 8:38 PM – 9:28 PM | 0.8 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 58% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (85%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.