Balsam Lake is a lake in Polk County, Wisconsin at about 345 m (1,132 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 13.0 km (8.1 mi) SSE of Luck.
Balsam Lake covers over 65 mi (105 km) of shoreline and covering a surface area of 2,054 acre (831 ha) and is the biggest lake in Polk County, Wisconsin. Public access to the lake by boat ramps are on the northwest, southwest and East Balsam. It is fed by natural springs and seepage from wetlands on the southwestern, northeastern and eastern shores. Maximum depth is 37 ft (11 m). Balsam Lake is well known for its great fishing for panfish (bluegill, sunfish, crappie, yellow perch, and bullhead) and sport fish such as largemouth bass, walleye, and northern pike. Other recreational activities such as boating, canoeing, swimming and water-skiing in summer and ice fishing, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing and the 17.8 mi (29 km) Cattail State Trail. Over fifty businesses line the shore of the lake, including resorts, motels, bait and tackle shops, grocery stores, restaurants,...From the Wikipedia article “Balsam Lake (Wisconsin)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Balsam Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 55° NE | 9:03 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:47 AM | 124° ESE | 4:30 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 42m |
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 | 7:47 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:43 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 39m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:19 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:56 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 44m |
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 Balsam Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:15 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:15 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:15 AM – 3:25 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:38 PM – 2:38 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:21 PM – 1:21 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:16 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:25 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.42 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 49% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (69%). 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 | 56 | 77 | 83 | 89 | 96 | 105 | 100 | 94 | 84 | 70 | 59 |
| Low °F | -41 | -28 | -33 | 3 | 24 | 39 | 45 | 42 | 30 | 10 | -10 | -30 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Balsam Lake, closest first.
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Balsam Lake?
What time is golden hour at Balsam Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Balsam Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Balsam Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Balsam Lake?
How far is Balsam Lake from Luck?
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.