Rangeley Lake — a lake in Franklin County, Maine — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 31 km (19 mi) WNW of Phillips.
Rangeley Lake, located in Franklin County, Maine, United States, is fed by several streams. Its waters flow out from the lake's northwestern corner via the short Rangeley River into Mooselookmeguntic Lake, then Upper and Lower Richardson Lakes, Umbagog Lake and ultimately into the Androscoggin River, Merrymeeting Bay, the lower Kennebec River, the Gulf of Maine and the Atlantic Ocean. The lake is one of the major headwater lakes of the Androscoggin watershed. Its elevation is 1,518 feet (463 m) above sea level, and its area is about 10 square miles (26 km2). The lake's depth is shallow near the shore, with a central basin averaging about 95 feet (29 m) deep. The maximum depth is 149 feet (45 m). The lake is primarily in the town of Rangeley, while the southern edge of the lake is in Rangeley Plantation. The town's eponymous village is located on the northeastern shore of Rangeley...From the Wikipedia article “Rangeley Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Rangeley Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:47 AM | 90° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:57 AM | 55° NE | 8:34 PM | 305° NW | 68° | 15h 37m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:30 AM | 89° E | 6:42 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:19 AM | 123° ESE | 4:05 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 46m |
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 | 6:45 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 10m |
| February | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:41 PM | 10h 26m |
| March | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:28 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 4:41 AM | 5:15 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:19 AM | 4:56 AM | 5:42 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 35m |
| July | 4:35 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:03 PM | 15h 16m |
| August | 5:13 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:23 PM | 14h 06m |
| September | 5:53 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:01 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:25 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:29 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:20 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:26 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:47 PM | 9h 34m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:14 PM | 4:03 PM | 4:36 PM | 8h 48m |
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 Rangeley Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:47 AM – 5:07 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:46 AM – 4:06 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:44 AM – 3:04 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:05 PM – 2:15 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:49 PM – 12:59 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 11:06 PM | 1.3 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:37 PM – 8:57 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.87 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 51 | 59 | 72 | 76 | 84 | 90 | 101 | 89 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 |
| Low °F | -25 | -31 | -23 | 9 | 26 | 34 | 46 | 42 | 31 | 21 | -2 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 4.4 |
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
- 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 Rangeley Lake, closest first.
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
Waterfall
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Rangeley Lake?
What time is golden hour at Rangeley Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Rangeley Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Rangeley Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Rangeley Lake?
How far is Rangeley Lake from Phillips?
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.