Lake of the Woods is a lake in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota. It sits roughly 56 km (35 mi) NE of Warroad.
Lake of the Woods (French: lac des Bois; Ojibwe: Pikwedina Sagainan, lit. 'inland lake of the sand hills') is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over 70 miles (110 km) long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and 65,000 miles (105,000 km) of shoreline. It is fed by the Rainy River, Shoal Lake, Kakagi Lake and other smaller rivers. The lake drains into the Winnipeg River and then into Lake Winnipeg. Ultimately, its outflow goes north through the Nelson River to Hudson Bay.From the Wikipedia article “Lake of the Woods”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake of the Woods the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 51° (NE) at the June solstice and 127° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 309° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 64° in summer but only 17° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:23 AM | 89° E | 7:32 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 51° NE | 9:29 PM | 309° NW | 64° | 16h 15m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 272° W | 41° | 12h 13m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:12 AM | 127° SE | 4:23 PM | 234° SW | 17° | 8h 11m |
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 | 7:33 AM | 8:09 AM | 9:02 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:25 PM | 8h 39m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:14 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 10m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:56 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:45 PM | 13h 43m |
| May | 4:58 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 19m |
| June | 4:31 AM | 5:14 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:36 PM | 9:27 PM | 10:10 PM | 16h 13m |
| July | 4:50 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:21 PM | 10:02 PM | 15h 50m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 26m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 38m |
| October | 7:08 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:24 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:30 PM | 7:03 PM | 10h 50m |
| November | 6:55 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:20 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 09m |
| December | 7:31 AM | 8:08 AM | 9:04 AM | 3:26 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:59 PM | 8h 13m |
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 Lake of the Woods, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through June. June gives the longest window (about 2.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 12° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky 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 | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| April | 4:21 AM – 4:21 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:22 AM – 2:52 AM | 0.5 | 11° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:22 AM – 2:42 AM | 2.3 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:26 AM – 12:46 AM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.95 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 2.5+ 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 58% 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 | 35 | 36 | 70 | 75 | 84 | 89 | 92 | 91 | 86 | 76 | 58 | 36 |
| Low °F | -47 | -47 | -37 | -4 | 25 | 39 | 47 | 41 | 28 | 6 | -17 | -45 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 2.4 | 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
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Lake of the Woods, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake of the Woods?
What time is golden hour at Lake of the Woods?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake of the Woods?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake of the Woods?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake of the Woods?
How far is Lake of the Woods from Warroad?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.