Lake Lila is a lake in Hamilton County, New York at about 523 m (1,716 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Tupper Lake, about 34 km (21 mi) away (Lake Lila lies SW of town).
Lake Lila is a remote 1,436-acre (5.81 km2) lake in the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area, in the west-central portion of the Adirondack Park. It is accessed via a 6-mile (9.7 km) dirt road. Boat access to the lake is by hand-launch only, after a 0.3-mile (0.48 km) portage from the parking lot. It is the twenty-second largest body of water in the park, and the largest lake in the Adirondack Park whose shoreline is entirely state-owned. Of the 100 largest lakes in the park, it is one of only five which are free of motorboats, jetskis, and floatplanes, including Lows, Little Tupper, Round, and Saint Regis Pond. The southeastern portion of Lake Lila is an extensive wetland drained by the Shingle Shanty Brook, which feeds the lake; the lake is drained by the Beaver River. The lake is bordered by 2,220-foot (680 m) Mount Frederica. There are 24 primitive campsites, 18 of which are...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Lila”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Lila 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 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 56° NE | 8:46 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 123° ESE | 4:24 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 53m |
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 | 6:59 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:40 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:01 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:24 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:38 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 6:55 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:15 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 55m |
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 Lila, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:52 AM – 5:32 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:48 AM – 4:28 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:09 PM – 2:49 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 1:25 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:57 PM – 11:27 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:50 PM – 9:20 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.85 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.
- 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 Lila, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
Waterfall
Lake
Lake
Mountain Peak
LakeWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Lila?
What time is golden hour at Lake Lila?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Lila?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Lila?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Lila?
How far is Lake Lila from Tupper 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.