Located in Franklin County, New York, Weller Pond is a lake at about 470 m (1,542 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Saranac Lake, about 12.9 km (8.0 mi) away (Weller Pond lies WSW of town).
Weller Pond is a 177-acre (72 ha) wilderness pond 8 miles (13 km) southwest of the village of Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in northern New York within Franklin County. The lake is found at an elevation of 1,539 feet (469 m). It is connected to Middle Saranac Lake and is entirely state-owned. It sits in the shadow of Boot Bay Mountain; there is a canoe carry to Upper Saranac Lake. It is a popular paddling and cross-country skiing destination. There are five public campsites on the pond, which are part of the Saranac Islands Public Campground. Weller Pond was made famous by Martha Reben's The Healing Woods, a memoir of her experiences camping on its shore in 1931 while attempting a self-cure of tuberculosis.From the Wikipedia article “Weller Pond”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Weller Pond 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 | 8:45 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) | 7:30 AM | 123° ESE | 4:21 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 | 5:26 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:02 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 | 5:13 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:43 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 | 8:35 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:22 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:37 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 6:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:19 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 Weller Pond, 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 ≈ 21.73 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 Weller Pond, closest first.
Lake
Lake
Lake
Mountain Peak
Lake
Lake
Lake
Lake
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Weller Pond?
What time is golden hour at Weller Pond?
Where does the sun rise and set at Weller Pond?
Can you see the Milky Way from Weller Pond?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Weller Pond?
How far is Weller Pond from Saranac 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.