Located in Washington County, New York, Lake George is a lake. The nearest town is Whitehall, about 13.7 km (8.5 mi) away (Lake George lies WNW of town).
Lake George (Mohawk: Kaniá:taro’kte, "Lake-End") known as the Queen of the Lakes in the United States, is a long narrow oligotrophic lake located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains, in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York. It lies within the upper region of the Great Appalachian Valley and drains northward into Lake Champlain, which is in the St. Lawrence River drainage basin. The lake is situated along the historical natural (Amerindian) path between the valleys of the Hudson and St. Lawrence Rivers, and so lies on the direct land route between Albany, New York, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The lake extends about 32.2 mi (51.8 km) on a north–south axis, with a maximum depth of 187 ft (57 m), and a width that ranges from one to three miles (1.6 to 4.8 km), presenting a significant barrier to east–west travel. Although the year-round population of...From the Wikipedia article “Lake George (New York)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake George 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 304° (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) | 6:58 AM | 90° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 56° NE | 8:40 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 123° ESE | 4:21 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 56m |
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 | 6:53 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 42m |
| June | 4:37 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:32 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 6:49 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:08 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:52 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 Lake George, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 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 3 (rural sky), 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:46 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:41 AM – 4:21 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:44 AM – 3:24 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:58 PM – 2:48 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:46 PM – 1:26 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 11:30 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:24 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.54 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 59 | 68 | 75 | 82 | 86 | 94 | 97 | 92 | 90 | 78 | 69 | 65 |
| Low °F | -32 | -24 | -19 | 5 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 44 | 33 | 20 | -2 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 George, closest first.
Lighthouse
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WaterfallWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake George?
What time is golden hour at Lake George?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake George?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake George?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake George?
How far is Lake George from Whitehall?
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.