Lake Munson is a lake in Leon County, Florida. It sits roughly 8.1 km (5.0 mi) SSW of Tallahassee.
Lake Munson is a shallow reservoir on the southeast side of Tallahassee in Leon County, Florida. Historically known as Munson's Mill Pond as early as the 1840s, in 1950 a permanent dam was constructed. From 1934 to 1984, Lake Munson received outflow from the Tallahassee waste water system, leading in 1982 to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection classifying the lake as hypereutrophic and as the seventh most degraded lake in Florida. Cypress and willow trees line the lake, and egrets, wood storks, and limpkin are often found foraging along the shoreline, often on invasive apple snails. Bass fishing in the lake can be excellent, and a boat ramp is provided at the Gil A. Waters Lake Munson Preserve Park, with another located at the dam.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Munson”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Munson the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 83° in summer but only 36° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:42 AM | 90° E | 7:49 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:37 AM | 62° ENE | 8:43 PM | 298° WNW | 83° | 14h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 117° ESE | 5:42 PM | 243° WSW | 36° | 10h 11m |
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 | 7:09 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:24 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 24m |
| February | 6:54 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 08m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:20 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:10 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:46 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:30 PM | 12h 54m |
| May | 6:18 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 41m |
| June | 6:08 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 06m |
| July | 6:19 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:08 PM | 13h 55m |
| August | 6:40 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 15m |
| September | 6:58 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:54 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:08 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 7:16 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 27m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 38m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 12m |
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 Munson, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 31° 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 | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:57 AM – 5:57 AM | 1.0 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:05 AM – 6:25 AM | 2.3 | 28° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:08 AM – 5:38 AM | 3.5 | 31° | SE → S |
| May | 12:05 AM – 5:05 AM | 5.0 | 31° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:18 PM – 4:58 AM | 6.7 | 31° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:15 PM – 3:25 AM | 5.2 | 31° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 1:26 AM | 3.7 | 31° | S → SW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 11:25 PM | 2.3 | 28° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:27 PM – 9:27 PM | 1.0 | 19° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| 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 ≈ 19.5 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 40% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (56%). 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 | 81 | 86 | 89 | 96 | 103 | 109 | 110 | 107 | 104 | 100 | 89 | 85 |
| Low °F | 18 | 21 | 22 | 35 | 44 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 49 | 32 | 21 | 21 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 4.5 |
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
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Munson, closest first.
State Park
State Park
Lake
Lake
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Munson?
What time is golden hour at Lake Munson?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Munson?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Munson?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Munson?
How far is Lake Munson from Tallahassee?
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.