Lake Chicot — a lake in Chicot County, Arkansas — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Lake Village, about 800 m away (Lake Chicot lies SSE of town).
Lake Chicot ( SHE-ko) is a lake adjacent to the Mississippi River. The lake is located on the east side of Lake Village, Arkansas in Chicot County. It is the largest oxbow lake in North America, as well as the largest natural lake in Arkansas. The name Chicot, French for "stumpy," refers to the many cypress stumps and trees along the lake banks. The lake is approximately 0.75 miles (1.21 km) wide and 21–22 miles (34–35 km) long from end to end. The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism operates Lake Chicot State Park on the northern end of the lake, which includes fishing, boating, and camping facilities, as well as a wildlife museum. Chicot County also operates a county park on the eastern side of the lake across from Lake Village.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Chicot, Arkansas”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Chicot 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 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:57 AM | 61° ENE | 8:18 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:06 AM | 118° ESE | 5:02 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 57m |
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 | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 11m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:16 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 5:39 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:24 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 53m |
| June | 5:27 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 21m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 09m |
| August | 6:02 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 6:25 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:33 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:30 PM | 10h 27m |
| December | 6:35 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 58m |
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 Lake Chicot, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° 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 | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:44 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:46 AM – 5:46 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:43 AM – 5:03 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:44 PM – 4:24 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:59 PM – 4:09 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:55 PM – 2:45 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:22 PM – 12:42 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:37 PM – 10:37 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:55 PM – 8:45 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.83 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 76 | 80 | 83 | 89 | 99 | 107 | 109 | 109 | 105 | 102 | 89 | 80 |
| Low °F | 9 | 18 | 18 | 29 | 37 | 56 | 58 | 55 | 45 | 31 | 18 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.2 | 5.5 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 5.5 |
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
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- 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 Lake Chicot, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Chicot?
What time is golden hour at Lake Chicot?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Chicot?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Chicot?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Chicot?
How far is Lake Chicot from Lake Village?
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.