Deal Lake is a lake in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It sits roughly 1.3 km (0.8 mi) NNE of Asbury Park.
Deal Lake is a man-made lake in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It is the largest lake in the county and one of the largest lakes in New Jersey, occupying 158 acres and drains into the Atlantic Ocean. The lake covers 158 acres (64 ha). Seven municipalities border the lake, accounting for 27 miles (43 km) of shoreline, including Allenhurst, Asbury Park, Deal, Interlaken, Loch Arbour, Neptune Township and Ocean Township. Deal Lake, like many urban and suburban bodies of water experienced serious environment pollutant problems in the mid 20th century, in 1974 the Deal Lake Commission was formed to help save the lake. Deal is a freshwater lake, but is unique because it has spawning saltwater fish, including alewives, blueback herring and gizzard shad.From the Wikipedia article “Deal Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Deal Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:27 AM | 58° ENE | 8:30 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 121° ESE | 4:34 PM | 240° WSW | 26° | 9h 18m |
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 | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 37m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:10 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 24m |
| June | 4:54 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 01m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 46m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 47m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 58m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 19m |
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 Deal Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:13 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:24 AM – 5:34 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 4:32 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:17 AM – 3:47 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:32 PM – 3:22 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:24 PM – 1:54 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 11:57 PM | 2.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:49 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:48 PM – 7:58 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 18.55 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ 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 December 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 | 67 | 71 | 73 | 91 | 88 | 96 | 102 | 101 | 96 | 92 | 75 | 71 |
| Low °F | -2 | -3 | 0 | 24 | 33 | 44 | 52 | 53 | 43 | 28 | 14 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 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
- 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.
- 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 Deal Lake, closest first.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State Park
Botanical Garden
Lighthouse
LighthouseLighthouseLighthouse
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Deal Lake?
What time is golden hour at Deal Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Deal Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Deal Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Deal Lake?
How far is Deal Lake from Asbury Park?
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.