Lake Peigneur — a lake in Iberia Parish, Louisiana — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Delcambre, about 3.7 km (2.3 mi) away (Lake Peigneur lies N of town).
Lake Peigneur is a brackish lake in the U.S. state of Louisiana, 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometers) north of Delcambre and 9.1 mi (14.6 km) west of New Iberia, near the northernmost tip of Vermilion Bay. With a maximum depth of 200 feet (60 meters), it is the deepest lake in Louisiana. Its name comes from the French word "peigneur", meaning "one who combs." It had been a 10-foot-deep (3 m) freshwater lake, popular for recreation, until human activity caused an unusual disaster on November 20, 1980, that changed its structure and the surrounding land.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Peigneur”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Peigneur 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 83° in summer but only 37° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:08 AM | 62° ENE | 8:13 PM | 298° WNW | 83° | 14h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:00 AM | 117° ESE | 5:13 PM | 243° WSW | 37° | 10h 13m |
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 | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 26m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:24 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:22 PM | 11h 08m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:17 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 54m |
| May | 5:49 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 39m |
| June | 5:40 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 04m |
| July | 5:51 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:38 PM | 13h 54m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 14m |
| September | 6:29 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 6:46 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:38 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 28m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:38 PM | 10h 39m |
| December | 6:31 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:37 PM | 10h 14m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Peigneur, 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 31° 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 | 4:28 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:36 AM – 5:56 AM | 2.3 | 28° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:39 AM – 5:09 AM | 3.5 | 31° | SE → S |
| May | 11:36 PM – 4:36 AM | 5.0 | 31° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:48 PM – 4:28 AM | 6.7 | 31° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:45 PM – 3:05 AM | 5.3 | 31° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:17 PM – 12:57 AM | 3.7 | 31° | S → SW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 10:55 PM | 2.3 | 28° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:58 PM – 8:58 PM | 1.0 | 20° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.07 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (60%). 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 | 75 | 79 | 81 | 85 | 91 | 96 | 96 | 96 | 93 | 89 | 83 | 77 |
| Low °F | 23 | 29 | 32 | 41 | 51 | 67 | 72 | 65 | 59 | 45 | 33 | 31 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 7.9 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 4.7 |
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.
- 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 Peigneur, closest first.
Botanical Garden
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Peigneur?
What time is golden hour at Lake Peigneur?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Peigneur?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Peigneur?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Peigneur?
How far is Lake Peigneur from Delcambre?
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.