Perky is a ghost town in Monroe County, Florida. The nearest town is Cudjoe Key, about 7.8 km (4.8 mi) away (Perky lies WSW of town).
Perky is a ghost town in Monroe County, Florida, United States. It is located in the lower Florida Keys on Lower Sugarloaf Key near mile marker 17 on US 1 (the Overseas Highway). A post office called Perky was established in 1929, and remained in operation until 1942. The town was named for its founder, R. C. Perky. It is the site of the historic Sugarloaf Key Bat Tower built by Richter Clyde Perky in 1929. The tower was destroyed in 2017 by Hurricane Irma, and the original fishcamp is now a restaurant and lodge.From the Wikipedia article “Perky, Florida”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Perky the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 64° (ENE) at the June solstice and 116° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 296° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 89° in summer but only 42° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:31 AM | 90° E | 7:38 PM | 270° W | 65° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:39 AM | 64° ENE | 8:19 PM | 296° WNW | 89° | 13h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:16 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 66° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:07 AM | 116° ESE | 5:43 PM | 245° WSW | 42° | 10h 36m |
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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:49 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:26 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:24 PM | 10h 46m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:32 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 20m |
| March | 7:14 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:06 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:36 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 00m |
| April | 6:42 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:12 PM | 12h 44m |
| May | 6:19 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 20m |
| June | 6:12 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:43 PM | 13h 39m |
| July | 6:22 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 31m |
| August | 6:38 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 00m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 18m |
| October | 7:02 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 36m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 5:08 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 57m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 37m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Perky, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 36° 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 | 4:28 AM – 5:38 AM | 1.2 | 23° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:31 AM – 6:11 AM | 2.7 | 32° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:37 AM – 5:37 AM | 4.0 | 36° | SE → S |
| May | 11:38 PM – 5:18 AM | 5.7 | 36° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:46 PM – 5:06 AM | 7.3 | 36° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:45 PM – 3:35 AM | 5.8 | 36° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:22 PM – 1:32 AM | 4.2 | 36° | S → SW |
| September | 8:48 PM – 11:38 PM | 2.8 | 33° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:16 PM – 9:36 PM | 1.3 | 24° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
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 ≈ 21.7 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show April as the clearest month (about 37% average cloud cover) and September as the cloudiest (62%). August 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 | 80 | 80 | 82 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 88 | 89 | 88 | 86 | 84 | 81 |
| Low °F | 50 | 53 | 59 | 64 | 72 | 77 | 79 | 80 | 76 | 66 | 64 | 54 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 6.1 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 6.7 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 1.3 |
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 ghost town
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Perky, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
Lighthouse
National Wildlife Refuge
Botanical Garden
BeachFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Perky?
What time is golden hour at Perky?
Where does the sun rise and set at Perky?
Can you see the Milky Way from Perky?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Perky?
How far is Perky from Cudjoe Key?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.