Little Seneca Lake is a lake in Montgomery County, Maryland at about 113 m (371 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 3.4 km (2.1 mi) WNW of Germantown.
Little Seneca Lake is a reservoir located near the Boyds community in Montgomery County, Maryland.From the Wikipedia article “Little Seneca Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Little Seneca Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:44 AM | 58° ENE | 8:40 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 56m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 120° ESE | 4:50 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 24m |
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 | 6:58 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:05 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:27 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 55m |
| July | 5:25 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 40m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:17 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:25 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 26m |
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 Little Seneca Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:16 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:25 AM – 5:45 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 4:52 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:24 AM – 4:04 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:38 PM – 3:38 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:30 PM – 2:10 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 12:16 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:50 PM – 10:10 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:01 PM – 8:11 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.41 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 (66%). 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 | 68 | 76 | 78 | 89 | 91 | 98 | 103 | 100 | 98 | 95 | 78 | 72 |
| Low °F | -3 | -10 | -5 | 22 | 29 | 42 | 52 | 52 | 40 | 25 | 15 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Little Seneca Lake, closest first.
State Park
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Canyon
Waterfall
State Park
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Indian Flats Hiker-Biker Campsite14.4 km (8.9 mi)
- Horsepen Branch Hiker-Biker Overnight (Hbo) Campsite15.4 km (9.5 mi)
- Marble Quarry Hiker-Biker Campsite16.1 km (10.0 mi)
- Chisel Branch Hiker-Biker Overnight (Hbo) Campsite17.2 km (10.7 mi)
- Swains Lock Hiker-Biker Campsite18.3 km (11.3 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Little Seneca Lake?
What time is golden hour at Little Seneca Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Little Seneca Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Little Seneca Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Little Seneca Lake?
How far is Little Seneca Lake from Germantown?
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.