Spirit Lake is a lake in Price County, Wisconsin at about 488 m (1,601 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 31 km (19 mi) NNE of Medford.
Spirit Lake is a lake in Price County, Wisconsin and Taylor County, Wisconsin that is the source of the Spirit River. It is contiguous and at the same elevation as North Spirit Lake, connected by a narrow channel. The lake features a number of species of recreational fish including muskellunge, panfish, largemouth bass, northern pike and walleye. In 1982 the non-profit Spirit Lakes Improvement Association was established for the purpose of improving the general quality of Spirit Lake and North Spirit Lake.From the Wikipedia article “Spirit Lake (Price County, Wisconsin)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Spirit 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) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 55° NE | 8:53 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 124° ESE | 4:21 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 43m |
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 | 7:04 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:24 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 07m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:45 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 53m |
| June | 4:35 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:58 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 39m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 19m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:43 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:45 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 32m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:23 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:53 PM | 8h 45m |
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 Spirit 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 | 5:06 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:06 AM – 4:16 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:06 AM – 3:16 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:29 PM – 2:29 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:12 PM – 1:12 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:07 PM – 11:17 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 9:16 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 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 | 42 | 52 | 73 | 78 | 84 | 89 | 100 | 94 | 91 | 80 | 69 | 57 |
| Low °F | -43 | -28 | -31 | -1 | 24 | 38 | 44 | 38 | 28 | 14 | -10 | -31 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 1.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Spirit Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- West Point Recreation Area25 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Eastwood25 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Picnic Point (Wi)25 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Spearhead Point25 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Spearhead Point Shelter25 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Spirit Lake?
What time is golden hour at Spirit Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Spirit Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Spirit Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Spirit Lake?
How far is Spirit Lake from Medford?
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.