Lake Charles is a city of about 76,070 people in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. Today the sun rises at 7:19 AM and sets at 6:38 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:05 PM – 6:53 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:11 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 25m |
| February | 6:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:26 PM | 11h 08m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:05 PM | 12h 54m |
| May | 6:20 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 40m |
| June | 6:12 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 05m |
| July | 6:22 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 55m |
| August | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 15m |
| September | 6:58 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 7:15 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:07 PM | 11h 28m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:14 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 38m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:42 PM | 10h 13m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Lake Charles
At Lake Charles the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 83° in summer but only 36° in winter.
Best photo spots near Lake Charles
9 photo locations lie within 80 km of Lake Charles. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
Lakes
Beaches
Botanical Gardens
National Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife RefugeGhost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Lake Charles is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge, about 43 km (27 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from February to October, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 43 km (27 mi) | 2 |
| Sabine Bank Light | Lighthouse | 96 km (60 mi) | 2 |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir | Lake | 115 km (71 mi) | 2 |
| South Toledo Bend State Park | State Park | 116 km (72 mi) | 2 |
| Sam Rayburn Reservoir | Lake | 128 km (79 mi) | 2 |
| Hodges Gardens State Park | State Park | 130 km (81 mi) | 2 |
| Odum Falls | Waterfall | 130 km (81 mi) | 2 |
| Kisatchie Falls | Waterfall | 133 km (83 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:33 AM – 5:33 AM | 1.0 | 19° |
| March | 3:41 AM – 6:01 AM | 2.3 | 28° |
| April | 1:44 AM – 5:14 AM | 3.5 | 31° |
| May | 11:41 PM – 4:41 AM | 5.0 | 31° |
| June | 9:54 PM – 4:34 AM | 6.7 | 31° |
| July | 9:51 PM – 3:01 AM | 5.2 | 31° |
| August | 9:22 PM – 1:02 AM | 3.7 | 31° |
| September | 8:41 PM – 11:01 PM | 2.3 | 28° |
| October | 8:03 PM – 9:03 PM | 1.0 | 19° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.