Located in Belknap County, New Hampshire, Lake Winnipesaukee is a lake at about 153 m (502 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Gilford, about 8.8 km (5.5 mi) away (Lake Winnipesaukee lies NE of town).
Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately 21 miles (34 km) long (northwest-southeast) and from 1 to 9 miles (1.6 to 14.5 km) wide (northeast-southwest), covering 69 square miles (179 km2)—71 square miles (184 km2) when Paugus Bay is included—with a maximum depth of 180 feet (55 m). The center area of the lake is called The Broads. The lake contains at least 264 islands, half of which are less than 0.25 acres (0.10 ha) in size, and is indented by several peninsulas, yielding a total shoreline of approximately 288 miles (463 km). The driving distance around the lake is 63 miles (101 km). It is 504 feet (154 m) above sea level. Winnipesaukee is the third-largest lake in New England after Lake Champlain and Moosehead Lake. Outflow is regulated by the Lakeport Dam...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Winnipesaukee”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Winnipesaukee 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 | 8:31 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:33 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 123° ESE | 4:12 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 56m |
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 | 6:44 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:58 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 4:48 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 42m |
| June | 4:28 AM | 5:04 AM | 5:48 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 4:44 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:22 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 5:57 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:26 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:31 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:32 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:23 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:23 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:43 PM | 8h 58m |
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 Winnipesaukee, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:37 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:32 AM – 4:12 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:35 AM – 3:15 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:49 PM – 2:39 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:37 PM – 1:17 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:21 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 9:15 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 ≈ 20.94 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
- 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.
- 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 Lake Winnipesaukee, closest first.
State Park
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
State Park
Lake
State Park
State Park
Lake
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Winnipesaukee?
What time is golden hour at Lake Winnipesaukee?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Winnipesaukee?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Winnipesaukee?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Winnipesaukee?
How far is Lake Winnipesaukee from Gilford?
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.