Lake Adelaide is a lake in Highlands County, Florida. The nearest town is Avon Park, about 5.5 km (3.4 mi) away (Lake Adelaide lies NNW of town).
Lake Adelaide is a 109-acre (0.44 km2) lake located in the northwest corner of Highlands County, Florida. It is bounded on the north by Holiday Ranch RV Park, which borders the Polk-Highlands County line, on the east by Adelaide Shores RV Resort and on the west by the Avon Park Lakes residential subdivision. Lake Adelaide is two miles (3 km) north of the town of Avon Park, Florida. Holiday Ranch RV Park and Adelaide Shores RV Resort are private developments with boat access to the lake. A public boat ramp is located on the Avon Park Lakes side. Both RV parks have sites available for mobile homes and RVs. Adelaide Shores, a retirement community, has 400 sites, a club house, a large heated swimming pool, a boat dock, a walking trail on the lake shore and laundry facilities. Lake Adelaide is about twenty feet deep at its deepest spot and has an average depth of seven feet.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Adelaide”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Adelaide the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 63° (ENE) at the June solstice and 116° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 297° (WNW) in June to 244° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 86° in summer but only 39° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:31 AM | 90° E | 7:38 PM | 270° W | 62° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:32 AM | 63° ENE | 8:25 PM | 297° WNW | 86° | 13h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:15 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 63° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 116° ESE | 5:37 PM | 244° WSW | 39° | 10h 23m |
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 | 6:53 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 35m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 14m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:07 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:35 PM | 7:59 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 6:38 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:15 PM | 12h 49m |
| May | 6:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 31m |
| June | 6:04 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 53m |
| July | 6:15 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 44m |
| August | 6:33 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 08m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:27 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 32m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:21 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 47m |
| December | 6:44 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 24m |
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 Lake Adelaide, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 33° 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 | — | 3° | — |
| February | 4:37 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.0 | 20° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:43 AM – 6:13 AM | 2.5 | 30° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:42 AM – 5:32 AM | 3.8 | 33° | SE → S |
| May | 11:46 PM – 5:06 AM | 5.3 | 33° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:57 PM – 4:57 AM | 7.0 | 33° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:55 PM – 3:25 AM | 5.5 | 33° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:29 PM – 1:29 AM | 4.0 | 33° | S → SW |
| September | 8:51 PM – 11:21 PM | 2.5 | 30° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:16 PM – 9:26 PM | 1.2 | 21° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.64 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (59%). 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 | 87 | 90 | 97 | 99 | 103 | 102 | 98 | 96 | 94 | 94 | 90 | 88 |
| Low °F | 24 | 28 | 34 | 41 | 54 | 66 | 70 | 68 | 62 | 38 | 37 | 26 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 4.1 | 8.5 | 7.3 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 2.2 |
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
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Adelaide, closest first.
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Adelaide?
What time is golden hour at Lake Adelaide?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Adelaide?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Adelaide?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Adelaide?
How far is Lake Adelaide from Avon Park?
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.