Upper Saranac Lake is a lake in Franklin County, New York at about 479 m (1,572 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Tupper Lake, about 13.4 km (8.3 mi) away (Upper Saranac Lake lies NE of town).
Upper Saranac Lake is one of three connected lakes, part of the Saranac River, in the towns of Santa Clara and Harrietstown, near the village of Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in northern New York. Upper Saranac Lake is the sixth largest lake in the Adirondacks. With Middle Saranac Lake and Lower Saranac Lake, a 17-mile (27 km) paddle with only one carry is possible. There are 20 primitive campsites accessible by boat available on a first-come basis. Upper Saranac Lake is also known as Sin-ha-lo-nen-ne-pus. The 37 miles of shoreline is 54 percent privately owned, and much of it is lined with "camps", ranging from true Great Camps to small weekend cottages. The lake, along with both Middle and Lower Saranac Lakes, 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 “Upper Saranac Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Upper Saranac Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (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) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 55° NE | 8:46 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 123° ESE | 4:22 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 51m |
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 | 3:58 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 4:58 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 4:37 AM | 5:14 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 30m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:38 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:15 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:53 PM | 8h 53m |
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 Upper Saranac Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:50 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:47 AM – 4:17 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:10 PM – 2:40 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 1:25 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 ≈ 21.75 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
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Upper Saranac Lake, closest first.
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Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
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LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Upper Saranac Lake?
What time is golden hour at Upper Saranac Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Upper Saranac Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Upper Saranac Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Upper Saranac Lake?
How far is Upper Saranac 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.