Located in Murray County, Minnesota, Lake Shetek is a lake at about 452 m (1,483 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Tracy, about 13.8 km (8.6 mi) away (Lake Shetek lies SSW of town).
Lake Shetek is the largest lake in southwestern Minnesota, United States, and the headwaters of the Des Moines River. It is located in The Lakes, an unincorporated community in Murray County a few miles north-northwest of Currie. The name Shetek is derived from "pelican" in the Ojibwe language. Since large lakes are rare in southwestern Minnesota and for some distance over the borders into Iowa and South Dakota, Lake Shetek is a significant regional draw for water recreation. Lake Shetek State Park lies on its eastern shore.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Shetek”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Shetek the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:27 AM | 90° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:40 AM | 56° NE | 9:10 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:56 AM | 123° ESE | 4:48 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
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 | 7:23 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:41 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 7:07 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:58 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:37 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 11m |
| August | 5:56 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:09 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:17 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:09 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:48 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:19 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:19 PM | 8h 54m |
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 Shetek, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | 5:16 AM – 5:56 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:12 AM – 4:52 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:17 AM – 3:47 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:33 PM – 3:13 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:19 PM – 1:49 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:21 PM – 11:51 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:14 PM – 9:44 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 5.0+ 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 44% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (67%). 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 | 51 | 67 | 82 | 90 | 94 | 99 | 105 | 101 | 97 | 86 | 77 | 55 |
| Low °F | -39 | -21 | -21 | 6 | 24 | 42 | 48 | 42 | 33 | 11 | -4 | -22 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 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
- 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.
- 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 Lake Shetek, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Shetek?
What time is golden hour at Lake Shetek?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Shetek?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Shetek?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Shetek?
How far is Lake Shetek from Tracy?
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.