Located in Vilas County, Wisconsin, Trout Lake is a lake at about 492 m (1,614 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Lac du Flambeau, about 18.9 km (11.7 mi) away (Trout Lake lies ENE of town).
Trout Lake is in Vilas County, Wisconsin, near the towns of Boulder Junction and Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin. With a surface area of 6.208 sq mi (16.079 km2) and a volume of 0.058 cu mi (0.240 km3), Trout Lake is one of the largest lakes in Vilas County. It has 16.1 mi (25.9 km) of shoreline, a large portion of which is undeveloped. There are also seven islands within the lake: Miller Island, Zimmerman Island, Haunted Island, Easter Island, Fisk Island, Chocolate Drop Island, and an unnamed island. It is a dimictic oligotrophic lake that supports a large number of sport fish, which has made it a popular angling destination.From the Wikipedia article “Trout Lake (Wisconsin)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Trout Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:08 AM | 54° NE | 8:54 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 46m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 124° SE | 4:17 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 38m |
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 | 8:25 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 02m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 32m |
| May | 4:52 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:24 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 57m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:54 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 44m |
| July | 4:46 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 24m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 10m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:46 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:44 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:46 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 28m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:25 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:49 PM | 8h 40m |
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 Trout Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:15 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:06 AM – 4:16 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:08 AM – 3:08 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:34 PM – 2:24 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:15 PM – 1:05 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:08 PM – 11:08 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:55 PM – 9:05 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.91 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 40 | 49 | 73 | 76 | 87 | 88 | 96 | 93 | 89 | 79 | 67 | 54 |
| Low °F | -21 | -26 | -19 | 6 | 23 | 34 | 40 | 42 | 31 | 13 | -1 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 2.3 |
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 Trout Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Moosehead Lake Camp23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Pomeroy Lake Camp28 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Emily Lake Recreation Area28 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Langford Lake Boat Launch29 km (18 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Trout Lake?
What time is golden hour at Trout Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Trout Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Trout Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Trout Lake?
How far is Trout Lake from Lac du Flambeau?
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.