Lake Flower is a lake in Franklin County, New York at about 466 m (1,529 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Saranac Lake, about 1.6 km (1.0 mi) away (Lake Flower lies SSE of town).
Lake Flower is a 300-acre (120 ha) lake in Franklin County and Essex County in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York in the United States. The lake was created by damming the Saranac River in 1827. It was originally called the Mill Pond, but was later named for New York Governor Roswell P. Flower. It is the only lake within the village of Saranac Lake. The village and the lake are divided between the towns of Harrietstown and North Elba. The lake shore is almost entirely in private hands. It is the site of the annual Willard Hanmer Guideboat & Canoe Race held each July in Saranac Lake since 1962; it is a race of ten miles (16 km), for guideboats, canoes and kayaks. The Adirondack Canoe Classic, a three-day 90-Mile race from Old Forge to Saranac Lake, ends on Lake Flower. Lake Flower is the source of ice for Saranac Lake's Ice Palace, built each year during Winter Carnival.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Flower”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Flower 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 32m |
| 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 | 8:15 AM | 3:57 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 28m |
| 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 | 6:52 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 30m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:34 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 52m |
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 Flower, 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 5 (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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:49 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:46 AM – 4:16 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:52 AM – 3:22 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:09 PM – 2:39 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:54 PM – 1:24 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 11:25 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:48 PM – 9:18 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.38 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
- 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.
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- 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 Lake Flower, closest first.
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Mountain Peak
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Mountain Peak
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LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Flower?
What time is golden hour at Lake Flower?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Flower?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Flower?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Flower?
How far is Lake Flower 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.