Lake Okeechobee is a lake in Palm Beach County, Florida. The nearest town is Pahokee, about 19.7 km (12.2 mi) away (Lake Okeechobee lies NW of town).
Lake Okeechobee ( OH-kee-CHOH-bee) is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the eighth-largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the largest natural freshwater lake contained entirely within the contiguous 48 states, excluding Lake Michigan which is connected to Lake Huron. The name Okeechobee comes from the Hitchiti (the ancestral language of most of the Seminoles in Florida) words oki (water) and chubi (big). Okeechobee covers 730 square miles (1,900 km2) and is exceptionally shallow for a lake of its size, with an average depth of only 9 feet (2.7 m). It is the largest lake in Florida and the southeastern United States, and is too large to see across. The Kissimmee River, located directly north of Lake Okeechobee, is the lake's primary source. The lake is part of the Kissimmee-Okeechobee-Everglades watershed.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Okeechobee”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Okeechobee 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 40° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:28 AM | 90° E | 7:35 PM | 270° W | 63° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:31 AM | 63° ENE | 8:21 PM | 297° WNW | 86° | 13h 50m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 63° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:09 AM | 116° ESE | 5:35 PM | 244° WSW | 40° | 10h 26m |
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 | 6:49 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 38m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:32 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:40 PM | 11h 15m |
| March | 7:10 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:04 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:56 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 6:36 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:12 PM | 12h 48m |
| May | 6:11 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 28m |
| June | 6:03 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 50m |
| July | 6:14 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 41m |
| August | 6:31 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 06m |
| September | 6:46 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:25 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 33m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:17 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:34 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 50m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 27m |
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 Okeechobee, 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 34° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| February | 4:34 AM – 5:34 AM | 1.0 | 21° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:39 AM – 6:09 AM | 2.5 | 30° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:38 AM – 5:38 AM | 4.0 | 34° | SE → S |
| May | 11:41 PM – 5:01 AM | 5.3 | 34° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:51 PM – 4:51 AM | 7.0 | 34° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:50 PM – 3:30 AM | 5.7 | 34° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:24 PM – 1:24 AM | 4.0 | 34° | S → SW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 11:27 PM | 2.7 | 31° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:13 PM – 9:23 PM | 1.2 | 22° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.25 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 (64%). 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 | 85 | 87 | 94 | 95 | 98 | 98 | 96 | 94 | 92 | 90 | 89 | 86 |
| Low °F | 28 | 33 | 36 | 49 | 57 | 69 | 73 | 73 | 67 | 46 | 42 | 31 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 4.4 | 7.8 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Okeechobee, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Okeechobee?
What time is golden hour at Lake Okeechobee?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Okeechobee?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Okeechobee?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Okeechobee?
How far is Lake Okeechobee from Pahokee?
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.