Located in Putnam County, New York, Lake Carmel is a lake at about 188 m (617 ft) above sea level.
Lake Carmel is a small manmade lake located in the Town of Kent, in Putnam County, New York. It takes its name from the nearby town of Carmel, and in turn gives it to the community of Lake Carmel surrounding it. The lake was created by developers in the early 20th century by damming the Middle Branch of the Croton River. It is one of the few sizeable bodies of water in the county not a part of the New York City water supply system, but its outfall goes straight into the system's Middle Branch Reservoir downstream in the town of Carmel. Due to increasing development around the lake, the city has helped the community improve its wastewater treatment.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Carmel (New York)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Carmel the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (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 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:59 AM | 90° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 57° ENE | 8:33 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:43 AM | 89° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:18 AM | 121° ESE | 4:29 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 10m |
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 | 6:49 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 31m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:53 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:05 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 10m |
| July | 5:02 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 53m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:14 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:27 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 12m |
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 Carmel, 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 6 (bright suburban sky), 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:24 AM – 5:24 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:25 AM – 4:25 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:23 AM – 3:33 AM | 3.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:41 PM – 3:11 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:31 PM – 1:41 AM | 3.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:42 PM – 11:42 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 9:41 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:48 PM – 7:48 PM | 0.0 | 10° | 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.16 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 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (65%). 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 | 66 | 70 | 73 | 91 | 87 | 95 | 101 | 102 | 96 | 88 | 76 | 69 |
| Low °F | -16 | -15 | -8 | 18 | 30 | 38 | 49 | 50 | 37 | 21 | 6 | -2 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Carmel, closest first.
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Carmel?
What time is golden hour at Lake Carmel?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Carmel?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Carmel?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Carmel?
How far is Lake Carmel from Lake Carmel?
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.