Kiwassa Lake — a lake in Franklin County, New York at about 466 m (1,529 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Adirondack Park. It sits roughly 4.4 km (2.7 mi) SSW of Saranac Lake.
Kiwassa Lake, originally called Lonesome Pond, is a 280-acre lake in the north-central Adirondack Park, south of Dewey Mountain, between Lower Saranac Lake and Oseetah Lake, two miles southwest of the village of Saranac Lake, New York, United States. It drains into Lake Oseetah, and thence into the Saranac River. The westernmost shore line is owned by New York State.From the Wikipedia article “Kiwassa Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Kiwassa Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 55° NE | 8:45 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:30 AM | 123° ESE | 4:21 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 51m |
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 | 6:57 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:16 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 30m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:22 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:37 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 6:53 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:52 PM | 8h 53m |
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 Kiwassa Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:50 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:47 AM – 4:17 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:10 PM – 2:40 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 1:25 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:56 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:49 PM – 9:19 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.01 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 | 57 | 62 | 74 | 79 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 86 | 88 | 78 | 69 | 62 |
| Low °F | -27 | -27 | -20 | 6 | 24 | 33 | 41 | 42 | 28 | 21 | -9 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 3.1 |
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 Kiwassa Lake, closest first.
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LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Kiwassa Lake?
What time is golden hour at Kiwassa Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Kiwassa Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Kiwassa Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Kiwassa Lake?
How far is Kiwassa Lake from Saranac Lake?
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.