Pungo Lake is a lake in Washington County, North Carolina. It is part of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. It sits roughly 20 km (13 mi) NNE of Belhaven.
Pungo Lake is a shallow freshwater lake in Washington County and Hyde County, North Carolina. The lake has an area of about 2,800 acres, and is one of the five largest freshwater lakes in the state. It is the smallest of the Pocosin Lakes.From the Wikipedia article “Pungo Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pungo 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) | 7:11 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:51 AM | 60° ENE | 8:26 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 119° ESE | 4:57 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 | 6:48 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 00m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:08 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 03m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 34m |
| July | 5:33 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 21m |
| August | 5:59 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:28 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:23 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 Pungo 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 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 | 4:54 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:59 AM – 5:49 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:59 AM – 4:59 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:05 AM – 4:15 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:13 PM – 3:53 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:08 PM – 2:28 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:31 PM – 12:31 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 10:31 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:57 PM – 8:27 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: 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 ≈ 21.72 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Launching or landing drones on National Wildlife Refuge lands generally requires a special use permit from the refuge manager, and wildlife disturbance rules apply everywhere.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Pungo Lake, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
BeachBeachFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pungo Lake?
What time is golden hour at Pungo Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pungo Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pungo Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pungo Lake?
How far is Pungo Lake from Belhaven?
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.