Mirror Lake State Park is a lake in Sauk County, Wisconsin at about 258 m (846 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 4.5 km (2.8 mi) SSW of Lake Delton.
Mirror Lake State Park is a 2,179-acre (882 ha) Wisconsin state park in the Wisconsin Dells region. The process of establishing the park began in 1962 and the park officially opened on August 19, 1966. It contains Mirror Lake, a narrow reservoir with steep sandstone sides up to 50 feet (15 m) tall. The lake has a surface area of 137 acres (55 ha) and an average depth of 10 to 14 feet (3.0 to 4.3 m). Recessed out of the wind, the water of Mirror Lake is usually calm and often as glassy-smooth as a mirror, hence the name. Situated in a major tourist area, the state park has an extensive campground and other visitor amenities. Also located within the park is the Seth Peterson Cottage, a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building available for public rental.From the Wikipedia article “Mirror Lake State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mirror Lake State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (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) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 56° NE | 8:45 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:30 AM | 123° ESE | 4:26 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 56m |
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 | 6:58 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:15 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 42m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:34 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:37 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:13 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:57 PM | 8h 58m |
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 Mirror Lake State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:51 AM – 5:31 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:46 AM – 4:26 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:49 AM – 3:29 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:03 PM – 2:53 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:51 PM – 1:31 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 11:35 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:49 PM – 9:29 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 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.
- 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 Mirror Lake State Park, closest first.
State Park
Canyon
Ghost Town
WaterfallGhost Town
Rock Formation
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mirror Lake State Park?
What time is golden hour at Mirror Lake State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mirror Lake State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mirror Lake State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mirror Lake State Park?
How far is Mirror Lake State Park from Lake Delton?
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.