Lake Roy is a lake in Polk County, Florida. It sits roughly 1.8 km (1.1 mi) WNW of Cypress Gardens.
Lake Roy is a natural freshwater lake inside the city of Winter Haven, Florida. It has a 74.17-acre (300,200 m2) surface area and is located on the south side of Cypress Gardens Boulevard. The lake once had a larger surface area, but when Cypress Gardens Boulevard was upgraded it ran over some of the northern part of Lake Roy; this part had been filled so the road could be rerouted. A small part of the old lakebed is north of the street, but is more of a retention pond now, for the most part remaining dry. The lake is of an irregular shape. Lake Roy is connected by a canal on its southwest side to Lake Lulu and indirectly from there to more than twenty other area lakes. These lakes are linked by canals and are known locally as the Chain of Lakes. Most of the shore of Lake Roy is bordered by residential housing. Residential areas circle from the southeast around to the northwest...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Roy (Florida)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Roy 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 85° in summer but only 39° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:32 AM | 90° E | 7:39 PM | 270° W | 62° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:32 AM | 63° ENE | 8:27 PM | 297° WNW | 85° | 13h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:16 AM | 89° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 62° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 116° ESE | 5:37 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 | 6:55 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 33m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 13m |
| March | 7:14 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:08 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:36 PM | 7:59 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 6:39 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:16 PM | 12h 50m |
| May | 6:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 32m |
| June | 6:04 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 54m |
| July | 6:15 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 45m |
| August | 6:33 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 09m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:33 PM | 7:57 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:04 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:27 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 31m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 46m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:47 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:00 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 Roy, 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 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | 4:37 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.0 | 20° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:44 AM – 6:14 AM | 2.5 | 30° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:44 AM – 5:34 AM | 3.8 | 33° | SE → S |
| May | 11:48 PM – 5:08 AM | 5.3 | 33° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:59 PM – 4:49 AM | 6.8 | 33° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:57 PM – 3:27 AM | 5.5 | 33° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:31 PM – 1:31 AM | 4.0 | 33° | S → SW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 11:22 PM | 2.5 | 30° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:17 PM – 9:27 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.6 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
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Roy, closest first.
Lake
Lake
Botanical Garden
State Park
Botanical Garden
Lake
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Roy?
What time is golden hour at Lake Roy?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Roy?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Roy?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Roy?
How far is Lake Roy from Cypress Gardens?
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.