Seneca Lake is a lake in Seneca County, New York. The nearest town is Penn Yan, about 12.8 km (8.0 mi) away (Seneca Lake lies E of town).
Seneca Lake is a Finger Lake in central New York state. Spanning four counties—Schuyler, Seneca, Yates, and Ontario—it is the largest of the eleven lake glacial chain, and the deepest glacial lake entirely within the state. Seneca Lake is 38 miles (61 km) long, has a surface area of 66.9 square miles (173 km2), a maximum depth of over 618 feet (188 m), and holds the most water of all the Finger Lakes (estimated at 3.81 cubic miles (15.9 km3), roughly half that of the entire chain). Seneca is celebrated as the lake trout capital of the world and hosts the National Lake Trout Derby. Its significant depth and accessibility enable the US Navy to conduct testing and evaluation of range on equipment such as sonar.From the Wikipedia article “Seneca Lake (New York)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Seneca 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° (NW) in June to 238° (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) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:31 AM | 57° ENE | 8:50 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:35 AM | 122° ESE | 4:38 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 02m |
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 | 7:05 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:20 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:14 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 4:55 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:13 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 5:10 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:18 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:17 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 04m |
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 Seneca 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:49 AM – 5:39 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:52 AM – 4:42 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:43 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:05 PM – 3:05 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:54 PM – 1:44 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:00 PM – 11:50 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 9:46 PM | 0.8 | 15° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.5 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 55% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (82%). 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 | 65 | 73 | 84 | 93 | 94 | 101 | 95 | 93 | 86 | 72 | 66 |
| Low °F | -12 | -18 | -7 | 12 | 25 | 35 | 46 | 46 | 33 | 23 | -7 | -2 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Seneca Lake, closest first.
State Park
Waterfall
State ParkWaterfallWaterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
Lake
State ParkWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Potomac Group Campground20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Backbone Horse Campground20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Blueberry Patch Campground21 km (13 mi)
- Blueberry Patch Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Seneca Lake?
What time is golden hour at Seneca Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Seneca Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Seneca Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Seneca Lake?
How far is Seneca Lake from Penn Yan?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.