Mansfield Hollow Lake — a lake in Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut at about 64 m (210 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 4.5 km (2.8 mi) ESE of Mansfield City.
Mansfield Hollow Lake is a reservoir resting on the border of Windham County and Tolland County, Connecticut. The reservoir provides drinking water for Willimantic and helps control flooding in the 159-square-mile Thames River watershed. It was created by the Mansfield Hollow Dam and is entirely contained within Mansfield Hollow State Park and the Mansfield Hollow Wildlife Area. Designed and constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the dam substantially reduces flooding along the Natchaug, Shetucket, and Thames rivers. Construction of the project began in 1949 with completion in 1952 at a cost of US$6.5 million. The Mansfield Hollow reservoir is located within the Shetucket River Watershed and is part of the Thames River Basin. Access to the site is available from US Route 6 and State Route 195. The damsite, covering an area of 25 acres (10 ha), was listed on the...From the Wikipedia article “Mansfield Hollow Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mansfield Hollow Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:53 AM | 90° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:15 AM | 57° ENE | 8:28 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 13m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:37 AM | 89° E | 6:48 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 122° ESE | 4:22 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 08m |
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 | 6:44 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:34 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:58 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 4:58 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 4:40 AM | 5:14 AM | 5:56 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:28 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:02 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:28 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:20 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:51 PM | 9h 10m |
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 Mansfield Hollow Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:19 AM – 5:19 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:20 AM – 4:20 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:28 AM – 3:28 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:37 PM – 2:57 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:27 PM – 1:37 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 11:37 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 9:35 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.23 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 49% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 63 | 63 | 73 | 89 | 87 | 94 | 100 | 100 | 95 | 86 | 76 | 68 |
| Low °F | -10 | -12 | -1 | 21 | 33 | 40 | 51 | 51 | 41 | 23 | 10 | 4 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 4.3 |
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 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Mansfield Hollow Lake, closest first.
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Waterfall
Lake
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Covered Bridge
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mansfield Hollow Lake?
What time is golden hour at Mansfield Hollow Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mansfield Hollow Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mansfield Hollow Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mansfield Hollow Lake?
How far is Mansfield Hollow Lake from Mansfield City?
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.