Located in Lawrence County, Alabama, Wheeler Lake is a lake. The nearest town is Rogersville, about 8.1 km (5.0 mi) away (Wheeler Lake lies WSW of town).
Wheeler Lake is located in the northern part of the state of Alabama in the United States, between Rogersville and Huntsville. Created by Wheeler Dam along the Tennessee River, it stretches 60 miles (97 km) from Wheeler Dam to Guntersville Dam. It is Alabama's second largest lake at 68,300 acres (276 km2), only a few hundred acres smaller than Alabama's Guntersville Lake, which is 69,100 acres (280 km2) and is separated by the Guntersville dam from the lake. Decatur operates the busiest port along the Tennessee River on this lake, Port of Decatur. Wheeler Lake is a major recreation and tourist center, attracting about four million visits a year. Along with camping, boating, and fishing, visitors enjoy the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge several miles upstream from the dam. The lake and dam are named for General Joseph "Joe" Wheeler.From the Wikipedia article “Wheeler Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Wheeler Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:54 AM | 90° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:37 AM | 61° ENE | 8:07 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:38 AM | 89° E | 6:48 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:54 AM | 118° ESE | 4:43 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 49m |
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
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:30 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:29 PM | 10h 04m |
| February | 6:10 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:11 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:24 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:52 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:48 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 5:19 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 59m |
| June | 5:07 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 29m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 16m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 29m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:07 AM | 6:25 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:23 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:30 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 5:58 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:01 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:12 PM | 10h 21m |
| December | 6:22 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 50m |
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 Wheeler Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:28 AM – 5:08 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:42 AM – 5:32 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:41 AM – 4:41 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:45 PM – 4:05 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:52 PM – 3:42 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:47 PM – 2:17 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:12 PM – 12:22 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:24 PM – 10:14 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:41 PM – 8:21 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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 ≈ 21.42 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 72 | 76 | 82 | 87 | 90 | 106 | 104 | 107 | 99 | 101 | 89 | 75 |
| Low °F | 4 | 8 | 14 | 23 | 35 | 52 | 56 | 53 | 39 | 29 | 18 | 11 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 5.9 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 5.7 |
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 lake
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- For mirror reflections, get low and close to the water; the reflection grows with a lower camera.
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, Wide-angle lens, Waterproof boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Wheeler Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Wheeler Lake?
What time is golden hour at Wheeler Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Wheeler Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Wheeler Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Wheeler Lake?
How far is Wheeler Lake from Rogersville?
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.