Located in Livingston County, New York, Conesus Lake is a lake. The nearest town is Livonia, about 6.1 km (3.8 mi) away (Conesus Lake lies SW of town).
Conesus Lake is a Finger Lake in Livingston County in western New York state. The fifth smallest of eleven, it is located off Interstate 390 about 15 miles (24 km) south of Interstate 90.From the Wikipedia article “Conesus Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Conesus Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:15 AM | 90° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:33 AM | 56° ENE | 8:53 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 122° ESE | 4:40 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 02m |
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 | 7:08 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:34 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:01 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 38m |
| June | 4:58 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:16 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 19m |
| July | 5:13 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:29 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 02m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:45 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:33 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:21 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 03m |
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 Conesus Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 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 | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:52 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:55 AM – 4:45 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:56 AM – 3:46 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:08 PM – 3:08 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:57 PM – 1:47 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:03 PM – 11:53 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:59 PM – 9:49 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.13 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 55% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (83%). 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 | 75 | 82 | 88 | 93 | 97 | 97 | 94 | 86 | 74 | 66 |
| Low °F | -10 | -13 | -7 | 12 | 24 | 35 | 45 | 45 | 35 | 23 | -1 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 2.6 |
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 Conesus Lake, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
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LakeWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Conesus Lake?
What time is golden hour at Conesus Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Conesus Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Conesus Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Conesus Lake?
How far is Conesus Lake from Livonia?
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.