Located in Oneida County, Wisconsin, Pelican Lake is a lake at about 485 m (1,591 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Nashville, about 14.1 km (8.8 mi) away (Pelican Lake lies W of town).
Pelican Lake is a 3,585-acre (14.51 km2) lake located in Oneida County in Wisconsin. It has a maximum depth of 39 ft (12 m). Visitors have access to the lake from five public boat landings. A dam is located on the lake's primary outlet, which feeds into the Pelican River. Pelican Lake serves as one of 21 reservoirs used to regulate and maintain optimal water flow on the Wisconsin and Tomahawk rivers, the process of which is facilitated in part by the Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company. Fish inhabiting the lake include muskie, panfish, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye. The lake's water clarity has historically been low, and its bottom composition is 40% sand, 20% gravel, 10% rock, 30% muck. The lake is eutrophic. Several invasive species are or have been found in the lake, including banded mystery snail, Chinese mystery snail, curly-leaf pondweed,...From the Wikipedia article “Pelican Lake (Wisconsin)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pelican Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) 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) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:09 AM | 55° NE | 8:50 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:35 AM | 124° SE | 4:17 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 | 7:01 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:21 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 4:52 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:30 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:54 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:26 PM | 15h 40m |
| July | 4:47 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:44 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:42 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:20 AM | 3:25 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:49 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 Pelican 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 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 | 5:02 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:02 AM – 4:12 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:02 AM – 3:12 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:25 PM – 2:25 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:08 PM – 1:08 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:03 PM – 11:13 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 9:12 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 ≈ 21.84 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 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 42 | 51 | 73 | 77 | 84 | 86 | 95 | 90 | 88 | 80 | 67 | 56 |
| Low °F | -40 | -29 | -26 | -1 | 24 | 36 | 42 | 39 | 28 | 14 | -10 | -30 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- 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 Pelican Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pelican Lake?
What time is golden hour at Pelican Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pelican Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pelican Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pelican Lake?
How far is Pelican Lake from Nashville?
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.