Wazee Lake is a lake in Jackson County, Wisconsin at about 285 m (935 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Black River Falls, about 10.2 km (6.3 mi) away (Wazee Lake lies E of town).
Wazee Lake is a lake east of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, in the town of Brockway, Jackson County, Wisconsin, United States. The name "Wazee" means "tall pine" in the Ho-Chunk language. The artificial lake is the deepest lake within the state of Wisconsin, with a maximum depth of approximately 355 feet (108 m). The man-made lake was formed after the site was used as a quarry for taconite mining between the mid-1960s through April 1983. The quarry produced about 850,000 tons of taconite pellets each year. The mine closed in 1983 as a result of a crash of the domestic steel markets in the United States. When the mine was in operation, pumps removed about 800 US gallons (3,000 L; 670 imp gal) of water per minute from the quarry. Once these pumps were shut down, the quarry began filling with water.From the Wikipedia article “Wazee Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Wazee Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:07 AM | 90° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 55° NE | 8:51 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:36 AM | 123° ESE | 4:27 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 51m |
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 | 7:36 AM | 8:22 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 4:43 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:26 PM | 15h 30m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:43 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 6:59 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:20 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:58 PM | 8h 53m |
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 Wazee Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:56 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:53 AM – 4:23 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:59 AM – 3:29 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:16 PM – 2:46 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:01 PM – 1:31 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:02 PM – 11:32 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:55 PM – 9:25 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.65 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 50% 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 | 47 | 57 | 75 | 82 | 89 | 92 | 101 | 98 | 92 | 82 | 72 | 61 |
| Low °F | -43 | -27 | -22 | 4 | 25 | 38 | 45 | 40 | 30 | 19 | 1 | -29 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 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
- 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 Wazee Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Wazee Lake?
What time is golden hour at Wazee Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Wazee Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Wazee Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Wazee Lake?
How far is Wazee Lake from Black River Falls?
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.