Lake Mattamuskeet is a lake in Hyde County, North Carolina. The nearest town is Belhaven, about 40 km (25 mi) away (Lake Mattamuskeet lies E of town).
Lake Mattamuskeet is the largest natural lake in North Carolina. It is a shallow coastal lake, averaging 2–3 feet (0.61–0.91 m) in depth, and stretches 18 miles (29 km) long and 7 miles (11 km) wide. Lake Mattamuskeet lies on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula. Lake Mattamuskeet is the location of Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge as well as surrounding public and private lands in eastern North Carolina are a major wintering site for waterfowl including ducks like northern pintail and green-wing teal, geese like Canada geese and tundra swans. Water quality in the lake has declined since the early 1990s, along with a substantial loss of submerged aquatic vegetation.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Mattamuskeet”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Mattamuskeet 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 242° (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) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:51 AM | 60° ENE | 8:24 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:11 AM | 119° ESE | 4:56 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 45m |
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 | 6:46 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 01m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:28 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 02m |
| June | 5:20 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 33m |
| July | 5:32 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 20m |
| August | 5:58 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:46 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:14 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:18 AM | 4:22 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:47 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 46m |
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 Lake Mattamuskeet, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:53 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:58 AM – 5:48 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:58 AM – 4:58 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:03 AM – 4:13 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:11 PM – 4:01 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:06 PM – 2:36 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:29 PM – 12:29 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:40 PM – 10:30 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:56 PM – 8:26 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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 ≈ 21.82 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (57%). 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 | 70 | 71 | 75 | 81 | 93 | 96 | 97 | 96 | 91 | 89 | 79 | 74 |
| Low °F | 14 | 16 | 25 | 36 | 46 | 59 | 66 | 63 | 56 | 41 | 30 | 23 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
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
- 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 Lake Mattamuskeet, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
Wilderness Area
National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Mattamuskeet?
What time is golden hour at Lake Mattamuskeet?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Mattamuskeet?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Mattamuskeet?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Mattamuskeet?
How far is Lake Mattamuskeet from Belhaven?
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.