Located in Allamakee County, Iowa, Big Lake is a lake at about 189 m (620 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Waukon, about 25 km (16 mi) away (Big Lake lies NE of town).
Big Lake is an open body of water surrounded by marshy islands in Navigation Pool 9 of the Upper Mississippi River. It lies where the Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin borders come together, just north of Lansing, Iowa. It is part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains the lake's integrity as a fish habitat.From the Wikipedia article “Big Lake (Iowa)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Big Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 56° NE | 8:50 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:35 AM | 122° ESE | 4:32 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 57m |
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 | 7:04 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:20 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 19m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 41m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 23m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 06m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:42 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 43m |
| December | 6:59 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:18 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:03 PM | 8h 59m |
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 Big Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:57 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:52 AM – 4:32 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:55 AM – 3:35 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:09 PM – 2:59 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:57 PM – 1:37 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:01 PM – 11:41 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:55 PM – 9:35 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.7 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 | 49 | 63 | 77 | 82 | 91 | 97 | 105 | 100 | 94 | 83 | 71 | 65 |
| Low °F | -39 | -21 | -20 | 10 | 27 | 39 | 47 | 41 | 32 | 22 | 2 | -27 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 1.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Big Lake?
What time is golden hour at Big Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Big Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Big Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Big Lake?
How far is Big Lake from Waukon?
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.