Located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, Toledo Bend Reservoir is a lake. The nearest town is New Llano, about 30 km (19 mi) away (Toledo Bend Reservoir lies WNW of town).
Toledo Bend Reservoir is a reservoir on the Sabine River between Texas and Louisiana. The lake has an area of 185,000 acres (750 km2), the largest man-made body of water partially in both Louisiana and Texas, the largest in the South, and the fifth largest by surface acre in the United States. The dam is capable of generating 92 megawatts of electrical power. The dam itself is located in the northeast corner of Newton County, Texas; however, that county includes very little of the reservoir, as most of it extends northward into parts of Sabine and DeSoto parishes in Louisiana, and Sabine, Shelby, and Panola counties in Texas.From the Wikipedia article “Toledo Bend Reservoir”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Toledo Bend Reservoir 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 82° in summer but only 35° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 90° E | 7:26 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:12 AM | 62° ENE | 8:22 PM | 298° WNW | 82° | 14h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:10 AM | 117° ESE | 5:17 PM | 243° WSW | 35° | 10h 07m |
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 | 6:48 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 20m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:27 PM | 11h 06m |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:22 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:08 PM | 12h 56m |
| May | 5:53 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 44m |
| June | 5:43 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 10m |
| July | 5:54 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 59m |
| August | 6:15 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:25 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 18m |
| September | 6:35 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:44 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 26m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:17 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 35m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:41 PM | 10h 08m |
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 Toledo Bend Reservoir, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 30° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:43 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.8 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:53 AM – 5:53 AM | 2.0 | 26° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:47 AM – 5:17 AM | 3.5 | 30° | SE → S |
| May | 11:46 PM – 4:46 AM | 5.0 | 30° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:59 PM – 4:29 AM | 6.5 | 30° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:56 PM – 3:06 AM | 5.2 | 30° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:26 PM – 12:56 AM | 3.5 | 30° | S → SW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 10:53 PM | 2.2 | 27° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:04 PM – 9:04 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.79 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 40% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 76 | 81 | 88 | 94 | 101 | 105 | 107 | 109 | 105 | 97 | 88 | 80 |
| Low °F | 17 | 19 | 22 | 33 | 41 | 60 | 64 | 57 | 47 | 35 | 21 | 22 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 5.0 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Toledo Bend Reservoir, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Toledo Bend Reservoir?
What time is golden hour at Toledo Bend Reservoir?
Where does the sun rise and set at Toledo Bend Reservoir?
Can you see the Milky Way from Toledo Bend Reservoir?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Toledo Bend Reservoir?
How far is Toledo Bend Reservoir from New Llano?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.