Located in Orange County, Florida, Lake Apopka is a lake. The nearest town is Montverde, about 5.6 km (3.5 mi) away (Lake Apopka lies ENE of town).
Lake Apopka is the fourth largest lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is located 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Orlando, mostly within the bounds of Orange County, although the western part is in Lake County. Fed by a natural spring, rainfall and stormwater runoff, water from Lake Apopka flows through the Apopka-Beauclair Canal and into Lakes Beauclair and Dora. From Lake Dora, water flows into Lake Eustis, then into Lake Griffin and then northward into the Ocklawaha River, which flows into the St. Johns River. Multiple parks or nature trails are present around the lake including Magnolia Park, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, Ferndale Preserve, Oakland Nature Preserve, Dr. Bradford Memorial Park, and Newton Park, named for A. B. Newton.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Apopka”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Apopka the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 63° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 244° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 85° in summer but only 38° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:31 AM | 90° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:30 AM | 63° ENE | 8:28 PM | 298° WNW | 85° | 13h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:16 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 62° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 117° ESE | 5:35 PM | 244° WSW | 38° | 10h 19m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 31m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 12m |
| March | 7:14 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:08 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:35 PM | 7:59 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:37 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:17 PM | 12h 51m |
| May | 6:11 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 34m |
| June | 6:02 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 57m |
| July | 6:13 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 48m |
| August | 6:32 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 11m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:33 PM | 7:57 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:04 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:26 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 30m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:34 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 44m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:32 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 20m |
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 Apopka, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.8 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 5 (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 | 4:36 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.0 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:53 AM – 6:13 AM | 2.3 | 29° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:44 AM – 5:34 AM | 3.8 | 33° | SE → S |
| May | 11:49 PM – 4:59 AM | 5.2 | 33° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:00 PM – 4:50 AM | 6.8 | 33° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:58 PM – 3:28 AM | 5.5 | 33° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:31 PM – 1:21 AM | 3.8 | 33° | S → SW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 11:22 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.52 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (61%). 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 | 86 | 89 | 96 | 98 | 101 | 102 | 99 | 99 | 94 | 93 | 89 | 87 |
| Low °F | 23 | 26 | 33 | 40 | 53 | 66 | 67 | 69 | 60 | 37 | 36 | 25 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 8.3 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 6.9 | 3.5 | 1.9 | 2.3 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Apopka, closest first.
State Park
State ParkState Park
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Apopka?
What time is golden hour at Lake Apopka?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Apopka?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Apopka?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Apopka?
How far is Lake Apopka from Montverde?
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.