Located in Greene County, New York, Notch Lake is a lake at about 605 m (1,985 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Woodstock, about 15.0 km (9.3 mi) away (Notch Lake lies NNW of town).
Notch Lake is an artificial lake in Edgewood, New York, in the Town of Hunter in the Catskill Mountains. It is located near the Stony Clove Notch, and is located near the edge of the Devil's Tombstone Campsite, bordering New York State Route 214. There is also a parking lot near the shore. It is the beginning of the Stony Clove Creek. One thing unusual about it is that it is one of the few places in the Catskills where there is a patch of Boreal Forest growing at an elevation below 3,000 feet (910 m). A fire occurred near the northern shore in the 1990s. Camping is not allowed at the day-use area next to the parking lot and Pond, however, camping is allowed a short walk South along Route 214 at the Devil's Tombstone Campground.From the Wikipedia article “Notch Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Notch Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 57° ENE | 8:37 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 16m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:23 AM | 122° ESE | 4:28 PM | 239° WSW | 24° | 9h 06m |
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 | 7:24 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:05 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 4:46 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 14m |
| July | 5:01 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 58m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:30 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 07m |
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 Notch Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:37 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:30 AM – 4:30 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:39 AM – 3:29 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:49 PM – 2:59 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 1:39 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:47 PM – 11:37 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:34 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.89 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 53% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 61 | 70 | 72 | 83 | 86 | 88 | 92 | 95 | 91 | 83 | 71 | 66 |
| Low °F | -21 | -17 | -16 | 9 | 26 | 34 | 44 | 44 | 32 | 17 | -3 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.8 |
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
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- 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.
- 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 Notch Lake, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Fire Lookout
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Notch Lake?
What time is golden hour at Notch Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Notch Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Notch Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Notch Lake?
How far is Notch Lake from Woodstock?
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.