Ponto Lake is a lake in Cass County, Minnesota at about 407 m (1,335 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 30 km (18 mi) NW of Crosslake.
Ponto Lake is a 347-acre (1.40 km2) lake located 2 miles (3.2 km) north and 8 miles (13 km) east of Backus, Minnesota. A public access is located on the southeast shore just north of State Highway 84. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Ponto Lake is in Lake Class 23; lakes in this class generally have hard water, are very deep and clear, and have a low amount of lake area less than 15 feet deep. This lake is managed primarily for walleye and northern pike and secondarily for bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass, and yellow perch.From the Wikipedia article “Ponto Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ponto Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (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) | 7:21 AM | 89° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 54° NE | 9:16 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:01 AM | 125° SE | 4:32 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 31m |
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 | 7:25 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:48 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:30 PM | 8h 57m |
| February | 6:51 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:11 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 5:07 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:28 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 03m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:14 PM | 9:54 PM | 15h 51m |
| July | 5:01 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:47 PM | 15h 31m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 6:25 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:02 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:05 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:32 PM | 7:02 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 6:48 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:08 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 23m |
| December | 7:21 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:48 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:05 PM | 8h 33m |
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 Ponto Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | 5:34 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:37 AM – 4:27 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:43 AM – 3:23 AM | 1.7 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:05 AM – 2:25 AM | 2.3 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:42 PM – 1:22 AM | 1.7 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:30 PM – 11:20 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:15 PM – 9:15 PM | 0.0 | 10° | 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 ≈ 21.87 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ 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 50% 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 | 44 | 54 | 77 | 86 | 89 | 93 | 105 | 99 | 94 | 84 | 67 | 44 |
| Low °F | -43 | -33 | -31 | 4 | 24 | 38 | 45 | 41 | 29 | 6 | -8 | -29 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mabel Lake28 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Cross Lake Recreation Area29 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Cross Lake Day Use29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ponto Lake?
What time is golden hour at Ponto Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ponto Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ponto Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ponto Lake?
How far is Ponto Lake from Crosslake?
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.