Wildwood Lake (New York) — a lake in Suffolk County, New York — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 2.4 km (1.5 mi) SW of Riverside.
Wildwood Lake is a natural lake located in Suffolk County on Long Island in Northampton near Riverhead, New York, United States. The lake was formed by glaciers during the last Ice age. There is a variety of fish species present in the lake, including: Largemouth Bass Chain Pickerel Pumpkinseed Yellow Perch White Perch Brown bullhead Rock Bass The lake is also stocked with Trout by the Town of Southampton. Fishing in Wildwood Lake is limited to Southampton residents or persons accompanied by a resident guide only.{{ There is a state DEC access ramp for small hand- or electric-powered craft, but fishing is limited, as stated above. It is said that there was once a road crossing through the middle of the lake, but it has never been proven.From the Wikipedia article “Wildwood Lake (New York)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Wildwood Lake (New York) the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:55 AM | 90° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 58° ENE | 8:27 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:39 AM | 89° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 121° ESE | 4:26 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 14m |
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 | 6:44 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 34m |
| February | 6:18 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 28m |
| June | 4:46 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:58 PM | 15h 06m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 50m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 49m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:35 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:19 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 6:38 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:53 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 15m |
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 Wildwood Lake (New York), the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 6 (bright 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:08 AM – 5:08 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:20 AM – 5:30 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:19 AM – 4:29 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:16 AM – 3:36 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:33 PM – 3:03 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:24 PM – 1:44 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:35 PM – 11:45 PM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:36 PM – 9:46 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:43 PM – 7:43 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.09 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 58 | 55 | 56 | 63 | 70 | 77 | 83 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 67 | 63 |
| Low °F | 12 | 11 | 17 | 32 | 39 | 52 | 61 | 63 | 55 | 43 | 30 | 22 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.3 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 5.7 |
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
- 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 Wildwood Lake (New York), closest first.
State Park
Lighthouse
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
Lake
National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Wildwood Lake (New York)?
What time is golden hour at Wildwood Lake (New York)?
Where does the sun rise and set at Wildwood Lake (New York)?
Can you see the Milky Way from Wildwood Lake (New York)?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Wildwood Lake (New York)?
How far is Wildwood Lake (New York) from Riverside?
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.