Located in Suffolk County, New York, Lake Montauk is a lake. The nearest town is Montauk, about 4.3 km (2.7 mi) away (Lake Montauk lies NNE of town).
Lake Montauk is a 900-acre (360 ha) artificial embayment in Montauk, New York that is home to the largest commercial and sporting fish fleets in the state of New York.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Montauk”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Montauk 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) | 6:52 AM | 90° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:16 AM | 57° ENE | 8:24 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 08m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:36 AM | 89° E | 6:47 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:10 AM | 121° ESE | 4:23 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 13m |
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 | 6:41 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 33m |
| February | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:33 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:46 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 29m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:16 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:56 PM | 15h 07m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 51m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 50m |
| September | 6:01 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:26 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:32 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:17 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 54m |
| December | 6:35 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:52 PM | 9h 14m |
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 Montauk, 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:05 AM – 5:05 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:17 AM – 5:27 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:16 AM – 4:26 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:13 AM – 3:33 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:30 PM – 3:00 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:21 PM – 1:41 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:32 PM – 11:42 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 9:43 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:40 PM – 7:40 PM | 0.0 | 11° | 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: 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 ≈ 20.53 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 August as the clearest month (about 52% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (69%). August 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 | 58 | 54 | 67 | 82 | 82 | 90 | 96 | 92 | 89 | 81 | 72 | 65 |
| Low °F | 0 | -3 | 9 | 24 | 36 | 44 | 54 | 55 | 47 | 31 | 17 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.2 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- 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 Montauk, closest first.
State Park
State Park
State Park
LighthouseState Park
State Park
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Montauk?
What time is golden hour at Lake Montauk?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Montauk?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Montauk?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Montauk?
How far is Lake Montauk from Montauk?
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.