Located in Belknap County, New Hampshire, Lake Waukewan is a lake at about 164 m (538 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 1.9 km (1.2 mi) W of Meredith.
Lake Waukewan is a 928-acre (3.76 km2) water body located in Belknap County in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Meredith and New Hampton. The town of Center Harbor occupies part of the lake's northern shoreline. The lake is classified as a cold- and warmwater fishery, with observed species including rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, chain pickerel, horned pout, and white perch. It supplies drinking water for the town of Meredith from an inlet near the south end of the lake. The water level is controlled by the Dam Bureau of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. As of 2013, it is maintained at 540.0 feet (164.6 m) above sea level in the summer, and 538.5 feet (164.1 m) the rest of the year.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Waukewan”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Waukewan the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (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) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:05 AM | 56° NE | 8:32 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 123° ESE | 4:13 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 55m |
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 | 6:45 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:16 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:31 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 4:44 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:23 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 5:57 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:27 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:33 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:43 PM | 8h 57m |
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 Lake Waukewan, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:38 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:34 AM – 4:14 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:38 AM – 3:08 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:53 PM – 2:33 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:40 PM – 1:20 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 11:13 PM | 1.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:37 PM – 9:17 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.16 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 51% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 84 | 94 | 105 | 94 | 93 | 79 | 70 | 62 |
| Low °F | -23 | -23 | -19 | 13 | 28 | 37 | 49 | 44 | 35 | 20 | -3 | -17 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
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 Lake Waukewan, closest first.
State Park
Lake
Lake
State Park
State Park
Mountain Peak
Lake
Waterfall
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Waukewan?
What time is golden hour at Lake Waukewan?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Waukewan?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Waukewan?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Waukewan?
How far is Lake Waukewan from Meredith?
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.