Raquette Lake is a lake in Hamilton County, New York at about 537 m (1,762 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 46 km (29 mi) SSW of Tupper Lake.
Raquette Lake is a lake in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. The source of the Raquette River, it is near the community of Raquette Lake, New York. The lake has 99-mile (159 km) shoreline, bordered with pines and mountains. It is located in the towns of Long Lake and Arietta, both in Hamilton County. Raquette Lake is popular, especially in summer, due to the scenery, wildlife, boating and hiking. There are several children's summer camps, including Raquette Lake Boys Camp and Raquette Lake Girls Camp. In winter, substantial snowfall makes the area popular for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. The lake is also part of the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail, which begins in Old Forge, NY and ends in Fort Kent, ME.From the Wikipedia article “Raquette Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Raquette Lake 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 70° 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 | 8:45 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:30 AM | 123° ESE | 4:25 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 54m |
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 | 6:58 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 44m |
| June | 4:41 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:44 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:37 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 56m |
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 Raquette Lake, 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:51 AM – 5:31 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:47 AM – 4:27 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:51 AM – 3:21 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:06 PM – 2:46 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:53 PM – 1:33 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:56 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:50 PM – 9:30 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 ≈ 21.83 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 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
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Raquette Lake, closest first.
Waterfall
LakeWaterfall
Mountain Peak
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Mountain Peak
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LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Raquette Lake?
What time is golden hour at Raquette Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Raquette Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Raquette Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Raquette Lake?
How far is Raquette Lake 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.