Highland Lake — a lake in Cheshire County, New Hampshire at about 395 m (1,296 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Antrim, about 14.5 km (9.0 mi) away (Highland Lake lies WNW of town).
Highland Lake is a 697-acre (2.82 km2) water body located in Sullivan and Cheshire counties in southwestern New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Washington and Stoddard. The lake has two outlets. The north outlet feeds Shedd Brook, while the south outlet flows through Island Pond to the North Branch of the Contoocook River. Water from the two outlets rejoins in the town of Hillsborough, approximately 8 miles (13 km) east of Highland Lake and one mile upstream from the Contoocook River. The northern end of the lake is only accessible by boat through a channel approximately 50 feet wide.From the Wikipedia article “Highland Lake (Stoddard, New Hampshire)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Highland Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:53 AM | 90° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 56° NE | 8:32 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:36 AM | 89° E | 6:48 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:18 AM | 122° ESE | 4:17 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 59m |
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 | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 4:49 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:34 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:47 PM | 9h 01m |
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 Highland Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:29 AM – 5:19 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:33 AM – 4:13 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:35 AM – 3:15 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:47 PM – 2:47 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:36 PM – 1:26 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:21 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:37 PM – 9:27 PM | 0.8 | 14° | 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.06 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 59 | 68 | 72 | 82 | 84 | 96 | 96 | 92 | 89 | 78 | 69 | 65 |
| Low °F | -30 | -23 | -21 | 8 | 24 | 34 | 44 | 42 | 30 | 18 | 1 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Highland Lake, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Lake
State Park
Lake
Lake
Covered Bridge
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Covered BridgeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Otter Brook Lake Recreation Area18.5 km (11.5 mi) · reservable
- Surry Mountain Lake Campground21 km (13 mi)
- Surry Mountain Lake Beach22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Edward Macdowell Lake Day Use Facilities25 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Highland Lake?
What time is golden hour at Highland Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Highland Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Highland Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Highland Lake?
How far is Highland Lake from Antrim?
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.