Lake St. Catherine — a lake in Orleans Parish, Louisiana — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 12.5 km (7.8 mi) SSE of Eden Isle.
Lake St. Catherine (French: Lac Sainte-Catherine) is a brackish-water lake that is located in eastern Orleans Parish, within the city limits of New Orleans, between Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne in Louisiana. Between Lake St. Catherine and Lake Borgne was the original Town of Lake Catherine. Established between Unknown Pass and Miller's Ditch, it was settled for railroad workers, trappers, hunters and fishermen.From the Wikipedia article “Lake St. Catherine (Louisiana)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake St. Catherine 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 36° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:04 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:59 AM | 62° ENE | 8:04 PM | 298° WNW | 83° | 14h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:52 AM | 117° ESE | 5:04 PM | 243° WSW | 36° | 10h 12m |
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 | 6:31 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 25m |
| February | 6:15 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:13 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:13 PM | 11h 08m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:08 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 54m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 40m |
| June | 5:31 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 05m |
| July | 5:41 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 54m |
| August | 6:02 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 15m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:30 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:53 PM | 11h 28m |
| November | 6:00 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:29 PM | 10h 39m |
| December | 6:22 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:28 PM | 10h 13m |
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 St. Catherine, 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 | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:19 AM – 5:19 AM | 1.0 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:27 AM – 5:47 AM | 2.3 | 28° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:30 AM – 5:00 AM | 3.5 | 31° | SE → S |
| May | 11:27 PM – 4:27 AM | 5.0 | 31° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:40 PM – 4:20 AM | 6.7 | 31° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:37 PM – 2:47 AM | 5.2 | 31° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:08 PM – 12:48 AM | 3.7 | 31° | S → SW |
| September | 8:27 PM – 10:47 PM | 2.3 | 28° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:49 PM – 8:49 PM | 1.0 | 19° | 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 ≈ 20.97 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and February 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 | 76 | 80 | 85 | 90 | 98 | 106 | 103 | 106 | 99 | 94 | 83 | 80 |
| Low °F | 17 | 24 | 25 | 38 | 43 | 59 | 65 | 58 | 50 | 36 | 25 | 25 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 5.5 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 5.4 |
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
- 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.
- 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 St. Catherine, closest first.
Lighthouse
Beach
Lighthouse
National Wildlife Refuge
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake St. Catherine?
What time is golden hour at Lake St. Catherine?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake St. Catherine?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake St. Catherine?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake St. Catherine?
How far is Lake St. Catherine from Eden Isle?
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.