Located in Itasca County, Minnesota, Siseebakwet Lake is a lake at about 404 m (1,325 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 12.5 km (7.8 mi) SSW of Cohasset.
Siseebakwet Lake is a lake in Itasca County, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Siseebakwet is a name derived from the Ojibwe language meaning "sugar".From the Wikipedia article “Siseebakwet Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Siseebakwet 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 307° (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) | 7:19 AM | 89° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 53° NE | 9:15 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:59 AM | 125° SE | 4:28 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 29m |
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 | 7:57 AM | 8:47 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:26 PM | 8h 55m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:09 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 04m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:53 PM | 15h 54m |
| July | 4:57 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 33m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 15m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:29 PM | 7:00 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 22m |
| December | 7:20 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:47 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 31m |
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 Siseebakwet Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.0 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | 5:43 AM – 5:43 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:37 AM – 4:27 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:46 AM – 3:16 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:13 AM – 2:13 AM | 2.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:47 PM – 1:07 AM | 1.3 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:31 PM – 11:11 PM | 0.7 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.7 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 47 | 76 | 80 | 88 | 90 | 103 | 96 | 92 | 82 | 66 | 40 |
| Low °F | -44 | -35 | -34 | 4 | 23 | 34 | 42 | 37 | 26 | 7 | -8 | -36 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 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.
- 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 Siseebakwet Lake, closest first.
State Park
Fire Lookout
Fire LookoutCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Siseebakwet Lake?
What time is golden hour at Siseebakwet Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Siseebakwet Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Siseebakwet Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Siseebakwet Lake?
How far is Siseebakwet Lake from Cohasset?
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.