Located in Chatham County, North Carolina, Jordan Lake is a lake. The nearest town is Fearrington Village, about 8.4 km (5.2 mi) away (Jordan Lake lies SE of town).
B. Everett Jordan Lake is a reservoir in New Hope Valley, west of Cary and south of Durham in Chatham County, North Carolina, in the United States; the northernmost end of the lake extends into southwestern Durham County. Part of the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, the reservoir covers 13,940 acres (5,640 ha) with a shoreline of 180 miles (290 km) at its standard water level of 216 feet (66 m) above sea level. Impounded in 1974, it was developed as part of a flood control project prompted by a particularly damaging tropical storm that hit the region downstream in September 1945. Constructed at an original cost of US$146,300,000, it is owned and operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, which dammed and flooded the Haw River and New Hope River between 1973 and 1983.From the Wikipedia article “Jordan Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Jordan Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:21 AM | 90° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:01 AM | 60° ENE | 8:36 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:23 AM | 119° ESE | 5:07 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 44m |
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 | 7:26 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 00m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:23 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:24 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:18 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 5:43 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 03m |
| June | 5:30 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 34m |
| July | 5:43 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 21m |
| August | 6:09 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:38 PM | 10h 17m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 45m |
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 Jordan Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:04 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:09 AM – 5:59 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:09 AM – 5:09 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:15 AM – 4:25 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:23 PM – 4:03 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:18 PM – 2:38 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 12:41 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:51 PM – 10:41 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:07 PM – 8:37 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| 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 ≈ 20.2 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (58%). 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 | 75 | 78 | 85 | 93 | 98 | 107 | 106 | 107 | 100 | 100 | 83 | 77 |
| Low °F | 8 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 37 | 47 | 58 | 54 | 43 | 29 | 20 | 14 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Jordan Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Jordan Lake?
What time is golden hour at Jordan Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Jordan Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Jordan Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Jordan Lake?
How far is Jordan Lake from Fearrington Village?
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.