Located in Marshall County, Alabama, Guntersville Lake is a lake. It sits roughly 11.5 km (7.1 mi) NW of Guntersville.
Guntersville Lake (generally referred to locally as Lake Guntersville) is an artificial lake in northern Alabama between Bridgeport and Guntersville.From the Wikipedia article “Guntersville Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Guntersville Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 61° ENE | 8:02 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:49 AM | 118° ESE | 4:40 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 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 | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:21 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:26 PM | 10h 06m |
| February | 6:06 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:07 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 58m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:43 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 57m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 27m |
| July | 5:16 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 14m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 27m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:19 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:26 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:25 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 5:53 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:56 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:09 PM | 10h 23m |
| December | 6:18 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 52m |
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 Guntersville Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:24 AM – 5:04 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:38 AM – 5:28 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:36 AM – 4:36 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:40 PM – 4:00 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:46 PM – 3:46 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:42 PM – 2:22 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:07 PM – 12:17 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:19 PM – 10:19 PM | 2.0 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:36 PM – 8:16 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.19 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 45% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (65%). 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 | 72 | 76 | 82 | 85 | 93 | 105 | 104 | 106 | 101 | 99 | 87 | 74 |
| Low °F | 4 | 6 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 52 | 56 | 53 | 40 | 29 | 17 | 9 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.4 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 5.6 |
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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Guntersville Lake, closest first.
Natural Arch
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
State Park
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Guntersville Lake?
What time is golden hour at Guntersville Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Guntersville Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Guntersville Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Guntersville Lake?
How far is Guntersville Lake from Guntersville?
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.