Orange Lake (Alachua County, Florida) — a lake in Alachua County, Florida — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 8.8 km (5.5 mi) NW of Citra.
Orange Lake is in Alachua County, Florida, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Hawthorne. It has an area of about 12,550 acres (5,080 ha), and is part of the Orange Creek Basin, which is in turn part of the Oklawaha River watershed. Cross Creek flows into it from Lochloosa Lake, and Orange Creek drains it into the Rodman Reservoir. Orange Lake also receives water from Newnans Lake that has been diverted from its historic destination of Paynes Prairie. Orange Lake is noted for fishing, especially bass, with many fishing camps on its shores. The lake also has many natural floating islands, which have an "unusually high diversity", especially of amphibians.From the Wikipedia article “Orange Lake (Florida)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Orange Lake (Alachua County, Florida) 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 84° in summer but only 37° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:33 AM | 90° E | 7:41 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:30 AM | 62° ENE | 8:32 PM | 298° WNW | 84° | 14h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:18 AM | 89° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 117° ESE | 5:35 PM | 243° WSW | 37° | 10h 15m |
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 | 6:59 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 28m |
| February | 6:45 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:42 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 10m |
| March | 7:16 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:11 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:01 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:39 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:24 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 53m |
| May | 6:11 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 37m |
| June | 6:02 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:31 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 01m |
| July | 6:13 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:31 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 51m |
| August | 6:33 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 13m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:36 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:07 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 29m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:28 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 41m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 16m |
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 Orange Lake (Alachua County, Florida), 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 32° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| February | 4:49 AM – 5:39 AM | 0.8 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:57 AM – 6:17 AM | 2.3 | 28° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:59 AM – 5:39 AM | 3.7 | 32° | SE → S |
| May | 11:55 PM – 5:05 AM | 5.2 | 32° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:07 PM – 4:47 AM | 6.7 | 32° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:04 PM – 3:24 AM | 5.3 | 32° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:36 PM – 1:26 AM | 3.8 | 32° | S → SW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 11:16 PM | 2.3 | 29° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:19 PM – 9:19 PM | 1.0 | 20° | 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.06 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (60%). 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 | 83 | 88 | 95 | 97 | 102 | 103 | 100 | 99 | 96 | 94 | 88 | 84 |
| Low °F | 20 | 22 | 29 | 37 | 50 | 64 | 66 | 65 | 55 | 34 | 27 | 23 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 7.8 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.9 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Orange Lake (Alachua County, Florida), closest first.
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State Park
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LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Orange Lake (Alachua County, Florida)?
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Where does the sun rise and set at Orange Lake (Alachua County, Florida)?
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Do you need a permit to photograph at Orange Lake (Alachua County, Florida)?
How far is Orange Lake (Alachua County, Florida) from Citra?
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.