Bay Lake is a lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota at about 385 m (1,263 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Crosby, about 13.3 km (8.3 mi) away (Bay Lake lies SE of town).
Bay Lake is a body of water located in the Brainerd Lakes region of Minnesota. The lake has a surface area of 2,319.84 acres (9 km2) and approximately 19 miles (31 km) of shoreline. The maximum depth of the lake is 74 feet (23 m) with a water clarity of 10 feet (3 m). The Ojibway called the lake Ses-sa-beg-a-mah, which has been translated as "lake of many bays" or "lake of many arms." Bay Lake is located within Bay Lake Township, approximately 15 miles (24 km) east of Brainerd, Minnesota and five miles (8 km) northwest of Garrison, Minnesota. Like many other lakes in the area, Bay Lake is surrounded by commercial resorts and private cabins, and is a popular destination for fishing, boating, and water skiing. Access to the lake and resorts is via Minnesota State Highway 6 for the western shore and Crow Wing County Highway 10 for the eastern shore. There are three islands on the...From the Wikipedia article “Bay Lake (Minnesota)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bay Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 90° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 54° NE | 9:12 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:57 AM | 124° SE | 4:32 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 35m |
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 | 7:22 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:44 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 00m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 21m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:09 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 34m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 59m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 47m |
| July | 5:01 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 27m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 12m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:30 PM | 7:01 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 26m |
| December | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:05 PM | 8h 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 Bay Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:32 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:34 AM – 4:34 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:29 AM – 3:19 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:59 PM – 2:29 AM | 2.5 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:37 PM – 1:17 AM | 1.7 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:27 PM – 11:17 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:12 PM – 9:12 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.76 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 51% 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 | 43 | 54 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 92 | 103 | 96 | 93 | 81 | 66 | 43 |
| Low °F | -43 | -32 | -32 | 4 | 24 | 38 | 45 | 42 | 30 | 6 | -9 | -31 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Bay Lake, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
State Park
Ghost Town
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bay Lake?
What time is golden hour at Bay Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bay Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bay Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bay Lake?
How far is Bay Lake from Crosby?
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.