Located in Osceola County, Florida, Lake Kissimmee is a lake. It sits roughly 26 km (16 mi) ENE of Babson Park.
Lake Kissimmee is a lake located about 15 mi (24 km) east of Lake Wales, Florida, US. The lake is almost entirely in Osceola County, but the western shore, and a small part of the lake, is in Polk County. Lake Kissimmee State Park is rich with wildlife, including bald eagles, white tailed deer, alligators, ospreys, bobcats, turkeys, and sandhill cranes. The main attraction is its "cow camp" where visitors can learn about 1876 era Florida cowboys. The Joe Overstreet Road access to the lake is an internationally known area for birdwatching, with sandhill cranes, introduced whooping cranes, bald eagles, black vultures, and shorebirds prominent. There are at least five islands in the lake. The largest is Brahma Island in the south. It is followed in size by Sturm Island in the north, which is separated from the mainland only by a narrow waterway. The other islands are Bird Island,...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Kissimmee”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Kissimmee 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) | 7:30 AM | 90° E | 7:37 PM | 270° W | 62° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:30 AM | 63° ENE | 8:25 PM | 297° WNW | 86° | 13h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:14 AM | 89° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 62° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 116° ESE | 5:35 PM | 244° WSW | 39° | 10h 22m |
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 | 7:18 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 34m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 13m |
| March | 7:12 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:07 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:34 PM | 7:58 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 6:37 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:15 PM | 12h 50m |
| May | 6:11 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 32m |
| June | 6:03 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 54m |
| July | 6:13 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 45m |
| August | 6:32 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 09m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:02 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:26 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 31m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:21 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:34 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 46m |
| December | 6:44 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 23m |
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 Kissimmee, 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 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 | 4:35 AM – 5:35 AM | 1.0 | 20° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:42 AM – 6:12 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 – 4:47 AM | 6.8 | 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 | 8:50 PM – 11:20 PM | 2.5 | 30° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:15 PM – 9:25 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 ≈ 21.14 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Kissimmee, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Kissimmee?
What time is golden hour at Lake Kissimmee?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Kissimmee?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Kissimmee?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Kissimmee?
How far is Lake Kissimmee from Babson 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.