Sawbill Lake — a lake in Cook County, Minnesota at about 545 m (1,788 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 43 km (27 mi) WNW of Grand Marais.
Sawbill Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. It is located at the end of the Sawbill Trail (County Road 2), 23 miles north of the nearest town of Tofte. It is a popular entry point (number 38) to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in the Superior National Forest. There is a United States Forest Service cabin, a canoe outfitter, and a 52-site campground located at the southern end of the lake. The lake also features 13 backcountry campsites accessible by non-motorized watercraft with a wilderness permit. Sawbill is connected by portages to Smoke Lake, Kelso Lake, Ada Creek and Alton Lake. The lake is part of the Lake Superior drainage basin via the Temperance River and Sawbill Creek, which flows out of the lake at its southern base.From the Wikipedia article “Sawbill Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sawbill 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) | 7:07 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:05 AM | 53° NE | 9:07 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:51 AM | 125° SE | 4:14 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 | 7:14 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:13 PM | 8h 50m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 16m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 09m |
| June | 4:24 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:53 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:46 PM | 16h 00m |
| July | 4:42 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 39m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 19m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:48 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:58 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 17m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:19 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:48 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 Sawbill 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 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 | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:40 AM – 4:10 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:42 AM – 2:52 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:21 AM – 1:41 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:47 PM – 12:47 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:25 PM – 10:45 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 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%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 40 | 58 | 66 | 70 | 71 | 84 | 82 | 78 | 67 | 57 | 45 |
| Low °F | -18 | -17 | -17 | 10 | 27 | 36 | 42 | 47 | 37 | 25 | 7 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 1.8 |
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.
- 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 Sawbill Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Sawbill Lake Campground - Superior National Forest2.7 km (1.7 mi) · reservable
- Crescent Lake (Mn)9.6 km (6.0 mi) · reservable
- Iron Lake28 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sawbill Lake?
What time is golden hour at Sawbill Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sawbill Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sawbill Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sawbill Lake?
How far is Sawbill Lake from Grand Marais?
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.