Saratoga Lake is a lake in Saratoga County, New York at about 62 m (203 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Saratoga Springs, about 7.9 km (4.9 mi) away (Saratoga Lake lies SSE of town).
Saratoga Lake is in the eastern part of Saratoga County, New York. The lake is approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) long, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide at its widest point, and about 95 feet (29 m) deep. The lake is bordered by the city of Saratoga Springs on the northwest, the town of Malta on the southwest, the town of Stillwater on the southeast, and the town of Saratoga on the northeast. New York State Route 9P runs along the southern end and eastern side of the lake, and then crosses its outlet in the north. The lake's major source is Kayaderosseras Creek, which enters the lake from the northwest, and the outlet is Fish Creek, which exits the lake from the north and flows into the Hudson River at Schuylerville.From the Wikipedia article “Saratoga Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Saratoga Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) 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 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:59 AM | 90° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 56° ENE | 8:38 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:43 AM | 89° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 122° ESE | 4:24 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 00m |
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 | 8:09 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:52 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:00 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 39m |
| June | 4:41 AM | 5:16 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 03m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:31 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 45m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 02m |
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 Saratoga Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 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 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:36 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:40 AM – 4:20 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:42 AM – 3:22 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:54 PM – 2:54 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:43 PM – 1:33 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:48 PM – 11:28 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:34 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.31 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 59 | 68 | 75 | 82 | 86 | 94 | 97 | 92 | 90 | 78 | 69 | 65 |
| Low °F | -32 | -24 | -19 | 5 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 44 | 33 | 20 | -2 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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.
- 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 Saratoga Lake, closest first.
State Park
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
State Park
State ParkWaterfallFAQ
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How far is Saratoga Lake from Saratoga Springs?
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.