Lake Mendota is a lake in Dane County, Wisconsin at about 256 m (840 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 3.7 km (2.3 mi) NNE of Shorewood Hills.
Lake Mendota is a freshwater eutrophic lake that is the northernmost and largest of the four lakes in Madison, Wisconsin. The lake borders Madison on the north, east, and south, Middleton on the west, Shorewood Hills on the southwest, Maple Bluff on the northeast, and Westport on the northwest. The lake was historically known as Wąąkšikhomįkra (Where the Person Rests) by the Ho-Chunk people. Lake Mendota acquired its present name in 1849 following a proposal by a surveyor named Frank Hudson, who claimed to be familiar with local Native American languages; Lyman C. Draper, the first corresponding secretary of the Wisconsin Historical Society, proposed that 'Mendota' could have been a Chippewa word meaning 'large' or 'great.'From the Wikipedia article “Lake Mendota”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Mendota the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:02 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 56° NE | 8:41 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:27 AM | 122° ESE | 4:26 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 59m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 4:43 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:34 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 01m |
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 Lake Mendota, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:39 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:43 AM – 4:23 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:45 AM – 3:25 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:57 PM – 2:57 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:46 PM – 1:36 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:51 PM – 11:31 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 9:37 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.63 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 48% 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 | 49 | 65 | 78 | 81 | 91 | 97 | 104 | 98 | 94 | 85 | 72 | 63 |
| Low °F | -43 | -25 | -19 | 10 | 26 | 39 | 46 | 42 | 33 | 19 | 2 | -25 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Lake Mendota, closest first.
State Park
Lake
Lake
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
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Lake
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Mendota?
What time is golden hour at Lake Mendota?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Mendota?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Mendota?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Mendota?
How far is Lake Mendota from Shorewood Hills?
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.