Lake Verona — a lake in Highlands County, Florida — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 900 m ENE of Avon Park.
Lake Verona is located at the east end of Main Street (SR-64 E) within the city limits of Avon Park, Florida. While the lake covers only 41 acres (17 ha), it is considered the deepest natural lake in peninsular Florida (at ~80 feet), with very steep banks, and a rapid drop-off. A boat ramp and turn-around exists where Church Street terminates at the lake shore adjacent to historic Donaldson Park. Picnic tables, shelter-houses, bathrooms, and barbecue grills are available. A broad white sand beach and public swimming area are present, although the lake is highly dangerous due to its depth and steep drop off. Life guards were once on duty, but such public safety measures are no longer present. Lake Verona is an entirely natural, land-locked, "collapse sink hole" lake, with white-sand beaches and clear water. It is the prominent feature of the City of Avon Park.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Verona”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Verona 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) | 7:31 AM | 90° E | 7:38 PM | 270° W | 62° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:32 AM | 63° ENE | 8:25 PM | 297° WNW | 86° | 13h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:15 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 63° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 116° ESE | 5:37 PM | 244° WSW | 39° | 10h 24m |
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 | 7:53 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 35m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 14m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:07 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:35 PM | 7:58 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 6:38 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:15 PM | 12h 49m |
| May | 6:13 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 31m |
| June | 6:04 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 53m |
| July | 6:15 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 43m |
| August | 6:33 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 08m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:27 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 32m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:21 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 47m |
| December | 6:44 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 24m |
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 Verona, 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 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 | — | 4° | — |
| February | 4:37 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.0 | 20° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:43 AM – 6:13 AM | 2.5 | 30° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:42 AM – 5:32 AM | 3.8 | 34° | SE → S |
| May | 11:46 PM – 5:06 AM | 5.3 | 34° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:56 PM – 4:56 AM | 7.0 | 34° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:54 PM – 3:24 AM | 5.5 | 34° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:29 PM – 1:29 AM | 4.0 | 34° | S → SW |
| September | 8:51 PM – 11:21 PM | 2.5 | 31° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:16 PM – 9:26 PM | 1.2 | 22° | 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 ≈ 19.79 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
- 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 Verona, closest first.
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Verona?
What time is golden hour at Lake Verona?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Verona?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Verona?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Verona?
How far is Lake Verona from Avon 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.