Located in Hamilton County, New York, Round Lake is a lake at about 524 m (1,719 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 19.6 km (12.2 mi) SSW of Tupper Lake.
Round Lake is a 744-acre (301-hectare) lake in the town of Long Lake, Hamilton County, New York, US. It is the centerpiece of the 11,430-acre (4,630 ha) Round Lake Wilderness Area are part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve, adjacent to the 19,500-acre (7,900 ha) William C. Whitney Wilderness in the Adirondack Park. Of the 100 largest lakes in the park, it is one of only five which are free of motorboats, jetskis, and floatplanes, including Lows, Lake Lila, Little Tupper, and Saint Regis Pond. There are eleven designated primitive campsites on Round Lake, created in 2007.From the Wikipedia article “Round Lake (lake), New York”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Round 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 69° in summer but only 22° 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) | 5:16 AM | 56° NE | 8:46 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 123° ESE | 4:23 PM | 238° WSW | 22° | 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 | 8:16 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:33 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 | 5:00 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:15 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:44 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:38 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:15 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 54m |
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 Round 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 | — | -5° | — |
| 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 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:52 AM – 3:22 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:08 PM – 2:48 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:54 PM – 1:24 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:56 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:49 PM – 9:19 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 ≈ 21.83 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 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
- 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.
- 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 Round Lake, closest first.
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Mountain Peak
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State ParkWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Round Lake?
What time is golden hour at Round Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Round Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Round Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Round Lake?
How far is Round 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.