Walden Pond is a lake in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It is part of Walden Pond State Reservation. It sits roughly 2.5 km (1.6 mi) SSE of Concord. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Walden Pond is a historic pond in Concord, Massachusetts, in the United States. A good example of a kettle hole, it was formed by retreating glaciers 10,000–12,000 years ago. The pond is protected as part of Walden Pond State Reservation, a 335-acre (136 ha) state park and recreation site managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The reservation was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962 for its association with the writer Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), whose two years living in a cabin on its shore provided the foundation for his famous 1854 work, Walden; or, Life in the Woods. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 ensured federal support for the preservation of the pond.From the Wikipedia article “Walden Pond”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Walden 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 304° (WNW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:09 AM | 57° ENE | 8:27 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 18m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:33 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:12 AM | 122° ESE | 4:16 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 04m |
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 | 6:42 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 25m |
| February | 6:14 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:36 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 4:52 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 36m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:51 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 16m |
| July | 4:49 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 15h 00m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:25 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:33 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:19 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 6:37 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:46 PM | 9h 05m |
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 Walden Pond, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 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 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:26 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:18 AM – 4:18 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:29 AM – 3:19 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:40 PM – 2:50 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:29 PM – 1:29 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:36 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 9:23 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 18.53 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 51% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 64 | 65 | 75 | 86 | 89 | 93 | 98 | 100 | 97 | 86 | 72 | 67 |
| Low °F | -12 | -15 | -3 | 18 | 31 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 41 | 22 | 10 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Walden Pond, closest first.
Lake
Lake
Mountain Peak
National Wildlife Refuge
Botanical Garden
National Wildlife Refuge
Botanical Garden
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Walden Pond?
What time is golden hour at Walden Pond?
Where does the sun rise and set at Walden Pond?
Can you see the Milky Way from Walden Pond?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Walden Pond?
How far is Walden Pond from Concord?
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.