Located in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, Dorothy Lake State Natural Area is a lake at about 349 m (1,145 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Cornell, about 13.5 km (8.4 mi) away (Dorothy Lake State Natural Area lies WNW of town).
Dorothy Lake State Natural Area is a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources-designated State Natural Area featuring forested end moraine topography, with many steep-sided ridges and depressions. This results in a diverse mosaic of natural communities, including forests, swamps, fens, lakes, and streams.From the Wikipedia article “Dorothy Lake State Natural Area”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Dorothy Lake State Natural Area 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) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:18 AM | 55° NE | 8:57 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 39m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:42 AM | 124° ESE | 4:26 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 44m |
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 | 7:08 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:28 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 08m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 52m |
| June | 4:40 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:03 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 37m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 18m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:49 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 33m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:27 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:58 PM | 8h 46m |
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 Dorothy Lake State Natural Area, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 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 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 | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:10 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:09 AM – 4:29 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:08 AM – 3:18 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:30 PM – 2:40 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:13 PM – 1:23 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:10 PM – 11:20 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:59 PM – 9:19 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: 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 ≈ 21.69 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 51% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (73%). 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 | 43 | 53 | 74 | 79 | 86 | 91 | 101 | 96 | 91 | 82 | 70 | 57 |
| Low °F | -44 | -28 | -29 | 1 | 24 | 38 | 44 | 39 | 29 | 13 | -11 | -32 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 1.6 |
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Dorothy Lake State Natural Area, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Dorothy Lake State Natural Area?
What time is golden hour at Dorothy Lake State Natural Area?
Where does the sun rise and set at Dorothy Lake State Natural Area?
Can you see the Milky Way from Dorothy Lake State Natural Area?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Dorothy Lake State Natural Area?
How far is Dorothy Lake State Natural Area from Cornell?
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.