Little Salt Spring — a lake in Sarasota County, Florida — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Warm Mineral Springs, about 3.1 km (1.9 mi) away (Little Salt Spring lies ENE of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Little Salt Spring is an archaeological and paleontological site in North Port, Florida. The site has been owned by the University of Miami since 1980 with research performed there by the university's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science.From the Wikipedia article “Little Salt Spring”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Little Salt Spring 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) | 7:34 AM | 90° E | 7:41 PM | 270° W | 63° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:36 AM | 63° ENE | 8:27 PM | 297° WNW | 86° | 13h 51m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:18 AM | 89° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 63° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 116° ESE | 5:41 PM | 244° WSW | 39° | 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 | 6:55 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:24 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 37m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 15m |
| March | 7:16 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:10 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:01 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 6:42 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:17 PM | 12h 48m |
| May | 6:17 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 29m |
| June | 6:09 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 50m |
| July | 6:19 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 41m |
| August | 6:37 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 06m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:35 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:06 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 32m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 49m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:04 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 Little Salt Spring, 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 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 | — | 2° | — |
| February | 4:40 AM – 5:40 AM | 1.0 | 21° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:45 AM – 6:15 AM | 2.5 | 30° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:44 AM – 5:44 AM | 4.0 | 34° | SE → S |
| May | 11:47 PM – 5:07 AM | 5.3 | 34° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:57 PM – 4:57 AM | 7.0 | 34° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:56 PM – 3:36 AM | 5.7 | 34° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:30 PM – 1:30 AM | 4.0 | 34° | S → SW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 11:33 PM | 2.7 | 31° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:19 PM – 9:29 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: 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 ≈ 18.69 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show April as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (67%). 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 | 81 | 84 | 89 | 92 | 95 | 96 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 89 | 86 | 83 |
| Low °F | 30 | 35 | 40 | 47 | 60 | 70 | 73 | 73 | 65 | 47 | 42 | 36 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 8.3 | 8.4 | 9.1 | 7.3 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
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 Little Salt Spring, closest first.
State Park
BeachBeach
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Little Salt Spring?
What time is golden hour at Little Salt Spring?
Where does the sun rise and set at Little Salt Spring?
Can you see the Milky Way from Little Salt Spring?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Little Salt Spring?
How far is Little Salt Spring from Warm Mineral Springs?
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.