Located in Lewis County, New York, Brantingham Lake is a lake at about 376 m (1,234 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Lowville, about 20 km (13 mi) away (Brantingham Lake lies ESE of town).
Brantingham Lake is a 327-acre (1.32 km2) in-land, non-section 10 Private lake, within the Adirondack Park, located east of Brantingham, New York in Lewis County, New York. Home to both seasonal and year-round residents. Surrounding area offer fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, as well as trails for all-terrain vehicle, horse, and snowmobile. There is no public beach. There is no official municipal, state or federal controlled public boat launch to access the lake. There is no parking available that allows a vehicle with a trailer to park. There are no bathroom facilities or public docks or New York State fishing rights. NYSDEC does not stock the lake due to no official designated boat launch. It is privately stocked by donation from property owners. During the winter months, the area receives an average 150 inches of snow, making Brantingham a popular destination for winter enthusiasts.From the Wikipedia article “Brantingham Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Brantingham Lake 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 305° (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) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 56° NE | 8:47 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:32 AM | 123° ESE | 4:28 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 | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:04 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:03 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 26m |
| July | 4:59 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:47 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:39 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 6:56 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:16 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:58 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 Brantingham Lake, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:53 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:49 AM – 4:29 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:08 PM – 2:48 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 1:35 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:58 PM – 11:28 PM | 1.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 9:32 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.77 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 (84%). 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 | 60 | 64 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 93 | 94 | 90 | 89 | 81 | 71 | 64 |
| Low °F | -27 | -20 | -19 | 4 | 26 | 34 | 44 | 45 | 32 | 20 | -6 | -14 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Brantingham Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Brantingham Lake?
What time is golden hour at Brantingham Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Brantingham Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Brantingham Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Brantingham Lake?
How far is Brantingham Lake from Lowville?
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.