Lake Hopatcong is a lake in Sussex County, New Jersey. It sits roughly 1.4 km (0.9 mi) W of Lake Hopatcong.
Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in New Jersey, United States, about 4 square miles (10 km2) in area. Located 30 miles (48 km) from the Delaware River and 40 miles (64 km) from Manhattan, New York City, the lake forms part of the border between Sussex and Morris counties in the state's northern highlands region. Lake Hopatcong was produced by damming and flooding of two ponds, known as the Great Pond and Little Pond, and the Musconetcong River, its natural outlet. Historically known as a resort lake for vacationing New Yorkers, it is now a mostly suburban residential lake.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Hopatcong”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Hopatcong 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 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:27 AM | 58° ENE | 8:35 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 121° ESE | 4:34 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 14m |
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 | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 33m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 28m |
| June | 4:53 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 06m |
| July | 5:07 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 50m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 50m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 15m |
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 Hopatcong, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | 5:16 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:28 AM – 5:38 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 4:37 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:24 AM – 3:44 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:41 PM – 3:11 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 1:52 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 11:53 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:54 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:51 PM – 7:51 PM | 0.0 | 11° | 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: 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 ≈ 18.5 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 (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
- 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 Hopatcong, closest first.
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Hopatcong?
What time is golden hour at Lake Hopatcong?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Hopatcong?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Hopatcong?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Hopatcong?
How far is Lake Hopatcong from Lake Hopatcong?
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.