Located in Piscataquis County, Maine, Moosehead Lake is a lake. The nearest town is Greenville, about 19.9 km (12.4 mi) away (Moosehead Lake lies NNW of town).
Moosehead Lake is a deep, coldwater lake located in Piscataquis County in Northwestern Maine. It is the largest lake in Maine and the largest lake wholly within New England, the second-largest lake in New England after Lake Champlain, and the largest mountain lake in the eastern United States. Situated in the mostly undeveloped Longfellow Mountains, the lake is the source of the Kennebec River. Several rural townships border the lake. Greenville is by far the largest town on the lake, with a small downtown area that has banks, shops, and restaurants. There are over 80 islands in the lake, the largest being Sugar Island and Deer Island to the west being the second largest.From the Wikipedia article “Moosehead Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Moosehead Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:43 AM | 90° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:50 AM | 54° NE | 8:32 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:26 AM | 89° E | 6:38 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 124° SE | 3:58 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 41m |
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 | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 05m |
| February | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:36 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:44 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:23 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 4:34 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:12 AM | 4:50 AM | 5:35 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 41m |
| July | 4:28 AM | 5:04 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 21m |
| August | 5:07 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:21 PM | 14h 09m |
| September | 5:48 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:09 PM | 4:42 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:06 PM | 3:56 PM | 4:30 PM | 8h 43m |
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 Moosehead Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 4:44 AM – 5:04 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:45 AM – 3:55 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 12:46 AM – 2:46 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:11 PM – 2:01 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:52 PM – 12:52 AM | 2.0 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 10:46 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 8:45 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 54% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 50 | 46 | 70 | 74 | 83 | 90 | 89 | 86 | 85 | 77 | 65 | 56 |
| Low °F | -32 | -27 | -19 | 7 | 26 | 34 | 46 | 43 | 31 | 22 | -1 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 |
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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Moosehead Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Moosehead Lake?
What time is golden hour at Moosehead Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Moosehead Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Moosehead Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Moosehead Lake?
How far is Moosehead Lake from Greenville?
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.