Burntside Lake — a lake in Saint Louis County, Minnesota at about 418 m (1,371 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Burntside State Forest. The nearest town is Ely, about 9.8 km (6.1 mi) away (Burntside Lake lies WNW of town).
Burntside Lake is a 7,139-acre (28.89 km2) lake, located 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Ely, Minnesota, in Saint Louis County, Minnesota. Its western boundary adjoins the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on Tamarack Creek. Native fish include Bluegill, Golden Shiner, Green Sunfish, Lake Trout, Lake Whitefish, Northern Pike, Rainbow Smelt, Rock Bass, Shorthead Redhorse, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Sucker and Yellow Perch. On its shores are two historic resorts with original hand-scribed log cabins, both built in the early 1900s and operating continuously since then: Burntside Lodge (1913) and Camp Van Vac (1918). The YMCA's Camp Widjiwagan is also located on the lake's shore. Burntside Lake's more than 100 islands include Beach; Bear; Berry; Blueberry; Brownell; Burnt; Burntside Islands; Gem; Dollar; Evans; Good Dog; Half Dollar; Honeymoon; Indian; Lockhart; Long; Lost...From the Wikipedia article “Burntside Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Burntside Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 53° NE | 9:12 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:56 AM | 125° SE | 4:18 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 23m |
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 | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:18 PM | 8h 49m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 10m |
| June | 4:28 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:58 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:51 PM | 16h 00m |
| July | 4:46 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 39m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 19m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:52 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 17m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:45 AM | 3:23 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:53 PM | 8h 25m |
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 Burntside Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. June gives the longest window (about 1.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:44 AM – 4:14 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:46 AM – 2:56 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:25 AM – 1:45 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:51 PM – 12:51 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:29 PM – 10:49 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.82 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.0+ 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 62% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 41 | 44 | 69 | 76 | 80 | 85 | 95 | 91 | 87 | 78 | 66 | 45 |
| Low °F | -29 | -25 | -23 | 8 | 23 | 32 | 42 | 40 | 30 | 17 | -5 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Burntside Lake, closest first.
State Park
Fire Lookout
Waterfall
State Park
State ParkWaterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Fenske Lake Campground9.9 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- Fall Lake21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- South Kawishiwi River23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Birch Lake Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Burntside Lake?
What time is golden hour at Burntside Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Burntside Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Burntside Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Burntside Lake?
How far is Burntside Lake from Ely?
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.