Horseshoe Lake is a lake in Alexander County, Illinois at about 98 m (322 ft) above sea level. It is part of Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area. It sits roughly 16.8 km (10.4 mi) ESE of Scott City.
Horseshoe Lake is a 2,007 acres (812 ha) natural oxbow lake in Alexander County, Illinois. It is the site of Illinois's Horseshoe Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, a state park 10,645 acres (43 km2) in size. It has a 20 miles (32 km) shoreline and a depth of 4 ft (1.2 m), with a maximum depth of 5–6 feet (1.5–1.8 m). A remnant of a large meander of the Mississippi River, it is today a shallow, isolated patch of water located near Cairo and the southern tip of Illinois. In 1972, the Horseshoe Lake Nature Preserve was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.From the Wikipedia article “Horseshoe Lake (Alexander County, Illinois)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Horseshoe Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:02 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:38 AM | 59° ENE | 8:22 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 43m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:08 AM | 119° ESE | 4:44 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 36m |
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 | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 53m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 50m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 09m |
| May | 5:21 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 09m |
| June | 5:07 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 42m |
| July | 5:20 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 28m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 36m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:15 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:16 PM | 10h 12m |
| December | 6:36 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 37m |
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 Horseshoe Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 24° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:55 AM – 5:15 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:01 AM – 5:31 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:04 AM – 4:44 AM | 2.7 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 12:03 AM – 4:03 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:13 PM – 3:43 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:07 PM – 2:17 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:27 PM – 12:17 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 10:15 PM | 1.7 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:48 PM – 8:08 PM | 0.3 | 14° | SW → SW |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.57 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (65%). 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 | 71 | 73 | 79 | 85 | 89 | 108 | 108 | 105 | 100 | 92 | 80 | 72 |
| Low °F | -2 | -2 | 6 | 22 | 35 | 45 | 53 | 50 | 40 | 25 | 13 | -2 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.9 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Horseshoe Lake, closest first.
Ghost Town
Fire LookoutGhost Town
National Wildlife RefugeGhost Town
Fire LookoutFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Horseshoe Lake?
What time is golden hour at Horseshoe Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Horseshoe Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Horseshoe Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Horseshoe Lake?
How far is Horseshoe Lake from Scott City?
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.