Located in Hamilton County, New York, Lake Pleasant is a lake at about 526 m (1,726 ft) above sea level. It is part of Adirondack Park. It sits roughly 33 km (20 mi) NNW of Northville.
Lake Pleasant is located in the Adirondack Park in New York in the United States. The lake is in the town of Lake Pleasant in Hamilton County. The lake is about four miles (6.4 km) long and about one mile (1.6 km) wide with its length oriented in an approximate northeast to southwest direction, the widest part at the northeast end. The village of Speculator is at its northern tip, and the hamlet of Lake Pleasant, the county seat, is by the western end. NY Route 8 traverses the north side of the lake, and South Shore Road goes around the south part. Lake Pleasant is linked to Sacandaga Lake by the Sacandaga Outlet, a small stream that passes under Route 8. The Sacandaga River drains Lake Pleasant and flows out the northern end by Speculator. The lake is ringed with seasonal and year-round houses. A public beach is at the north end in Speculator. Most commercial development is found...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Pleasant (New York)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Pleasant the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (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) | 7:02 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 56° NE | 8:43 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 122° ESE | 4:25 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 57m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 19m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 42m |
| June | 4:41 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 24m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 06m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:35 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 58m |
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 Pleasant, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:50 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:45 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:48 AM – 3:28 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:02 PM – 2:52 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:50 PM – 1:30 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 11:34 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:48 PM – 9:28 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: 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 ≈ 21.71 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 53% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 55 | 64 | 70 | 78 | 87 | 95 | 86 | 92 | 82 | 75 | 66 | 61 |
| Low °F | -28 | -23 | -23 | 2 | 24 | 31 | 40 | 41 | 28 | 18 | -10 | -22 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 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
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Pleasant, closest first.
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Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Pleasant?
What time is golden hour at Lake Pleasant?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Pleasant?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Pleasant?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Pleasant?
How far is Lake Pleasant from Northville?
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.