Lake Zurich is a city of about 19,993 people in Lake County, Illinois, at 267 m (876 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:11 AM and sets at 6:04 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:26 PM – 6:22 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 | 7:19 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 26m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:12 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 35m |
| June | 5:16 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 15m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 58m |
| August | 6:01 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:06 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:40 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 07m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Lake Zurich
At Lake Zurich 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 Zurich
49 photo locations lie within 80 km of Lake Zurich. 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 GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Lake Zurich is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Bourbonais, about 159 km (99 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 | 159 km (99 mi) | 3 |
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | State Park | 161 km (100 mi) | 3 |
| Millville | Ghost Town | 163 km (102 mi) | 3 |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | State Park | 163 km (102 mi) | 3 |
| Cameron National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 167 km (103 mi) | 3 |
| Yellowstone Lake State Park | State Park | 167 km (104 mi) | 3 |
| Charles Mound | Mountain Peak | 180 km (112 mi) | 3 |
| Pendarvis | Ghost Town | 186 km (115 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:32 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:25 AM – 4:25 AM | 2.0 | 18° |
| May | 12:34 AM – 3:24 AM | 2.8 | 19° |
| June | 10:44 PM – 2:54 AM | 4.2 | 19° |
| July | 10:34 PM – 1:34 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| August | 9:42 PM – 11:32 PM | 1.8 | 18° |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:29 PM | 0.8 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and December 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.