Located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Halfway Pond is a lake. The nearest town is White Island Shores, about 6.0 km (3.7 mi) away (Halfway Pond lies NNE of town).
Halfway Pond a 232-acre (0.94 km2) warm water pond located in Plymouth, Massachusetts between Myles Standish State Forest and Long Pond, west of Round Pond, southwest of Gallows Pond, and north of Fawn Pond and White Island Pond. The average depth is nine feet and the maximum depth is 13 feet (4.0 m). The pond is fed by groundwater springs and drains into the Agawam River. Halfway Pond Island lies in the middle of the pond and is managed as a research natural area by The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts. There are almost three miles (5 km) of shoreline. Access here is informal and can be located off of Mast Road, a portion of which abuts the western shoreline of the pond. Parking is limited to just two or three cars and boaters will have to stick with canoes and other car top craft. Substantial amounts of shoreline are open to fishing.From the Wikipedia article “Halfway Pond”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Halfway Pond the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:47 AM | 90° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:08 AM | 57° ENE | 8:22 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 13m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:31 AM | 89° E | 6:42 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:07 AM | 122° ESE | 4:15 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 08m |
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 | 6:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 28m |
| February | 6:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:18 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 6:28 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:17 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:52 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 4:52 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 33m |
| June | 4:33 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:50 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:54 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 4:48 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 56m |
| August | 5:21 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 5:55 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:00 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:27 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:31 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:03 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:14 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 6:32 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:49 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:45 PM | 9h 09m |
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 Halfway Pond, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:11 AM – 5:11 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:13 AM – 4:13 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:21 AM – 3:21 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:30 PM – 2:50 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:20 PM – 1:30 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:30 PM – 11:30 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:28 PM – 9:28 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.29 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 50% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (69%). 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 | 56 | 54 | 62 | 72 | 76 | 87 | 89 | 86 | 81 | 76 | 67 | 63 |
| Low °F | 2 | 1 | 13 | 29 | 39 | 49 | 58 | 60 | 51 | 38 | 22 | 12 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Halfway Pond, closest first.
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National Wildlife Refuge
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Halfway Pond?
What time is golden hour at Halfway Pond?
Where does the sun rise and set at Halfway Pond?
Can you see the Milky Way from Halfway Pond?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Halfway Pond?
How far is Halfway Pond from White Island Shores?
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.