Bangs Lake — a lake in Lake County, Illinois at about 236 m (774 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 900 m NE of Wauconda.
Bangs Lake is a natural glacial lake that is located in Wauconda, Illinois. It is named after Justus Bangs, the first permanent settler in Wauconda, who arrived in the summer of 1836. Justus Bangs reportedly named Wauconda as well, supposedly after a Native American Indian character in a story Bangs had read. However, some believe that Wauconda was named after an Indian chief who is buried on the southern shore of Bangs Lake. In the early 1900s, the Palatine, Lake Zurich and Wauconda Railroad brought vacationers to Wauconda from Chicago, and the beaches of Bangs Lake continued to be a popular vacation destination through the 1960s. In the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, beach scenes were filmed along the shores of Bangs Lake.From the Wikipedia article “Bangs Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bangs Lake 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.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 57° ENE | 8:33 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 16m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:19 AM | 122° ESE | 4:24 PM | 239° WSW | 24° | 9h 05m |
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 | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 26m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:00 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 35m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:16 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 15m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 58m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:40 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:14 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:26 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 07m |
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 Bangs Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:33 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:26 AM – 4:26 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:35 AM – 3:25 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:45 PM – 2:55 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:35 PM – 1:35 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 11:33 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:40 PM – 9:30 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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 ≈ 18.81 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
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.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 57 | 65 | 79 | 83 | 90 | 96 | 104 | 99 | 93 | 86 | 73 | 66 |
| Low °F | -41 | -22 | -15 | 13 | 26 | 36 | 45 | 44 | 33 | 16 | 2 | -24 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 2.2 |
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 lake
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Bangs Lake, closest first.
State Park
State Park
Covered Bridge
Lake
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bangs Lake?
What time is golden hour at Bangs Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bangs Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bangs Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bangs Lake?
How far is Bangs Lake from Wauconda?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.