Table Rock Lake — a lake in Taney County, Missouri — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 9.7 km (6.0 mi) SW of Hollister.
Table Rock Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas in the United States. Designed, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake is impounded by Table Rock Dam, which was constructed from 1954 to 1958 on the White River creating the lake. The lake is a popular attraction for the city of Branson, Missouri, and the nearby town of Shell Knob, Missouri. There are several commercial marinas along the lake, and Table Rock State Park is located on the east side, both north and south of Table Rock Dam. Downstream from the dam, the Missouri Department of Conservation operates a fish hatchery, which is used to stock trout in Lake Taneycomo, which begins immediately downstream from the Table Rock Dam. The cold water discharged from the dam creates a trout fishing environment in the lake. The lake derives its...From the Wikipedia article “Table Rock Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Table Rock Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:18 AM | 90° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:56 AM | 60° ENE | 8:36 PM | 301° WNW | 77° | 14h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 119° ESE | 5:02 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 39m |
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 | 6:57 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 56m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 52m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 07m |
| May | 5:38 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 07m |
| June | 5:25 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 39m |
| July | 5:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 25m |
| August | 6:04 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 34m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:38 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 17m |
| November | 6:24 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:33 PM | 10h 14m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 41m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Table Rock Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:01 AM – 5:31 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:17 AM – 5:57 AM | 1.7 | 21° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:08 AM – 4:58 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 12:15 AM – 4:15 AM | 4.0 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:24 PM – 3:54 AM | 5.5 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:19 PM – 2:39 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:40 PM – 12:30 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:49 PM – 10:29 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:04 PM – 8:34 PM | 0.5 | 14° | SW → SW |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.43 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 72 | 76 | 83 | 92 | 94 | 107 | 107 | 112 | 101 | 90 | 81 | 73 |
| Low °F | -5 | -5 | 5 | 21 | 33 | 48 | 53 | 50 | 40 | 24 | 11 | 2 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
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
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- 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 Table Rock Lake, closest first.
State Park
Ghost Town
Beach
Cave
State ParkCaveCaveGhost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Old Highway 861.9 km (1.2 mi) · reservable
- Moonshine Beach Rec. Area4.7 km (2.9 mi) · reservable
- Indian Point8.3 km (5.2 mi) · reservable
- Cricket Creek9.3 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
- Mill Creek (Missouri)13.0 km (8.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Table Rock Lake?
What time is golden hour at Table Rock Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Table Rock Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Table Rock Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Table Rock Lake?
How far is Table Rock Lake from Hollister?
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.