Lake Erie is a lake in Ashtabula County, Ohio. The nearest town is Geneva-on-the-Lake, about 44 km (27 mi) away (Lake Erie lies N of town).
Lake Erie ( EER-ee) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest average water residence time. At its deepest point, Lake Erie is 210 feet (64 m) deep, making it the only Great Lake whose deepest point is above sea level. Located on the International Boundary between Canada and the United States, Lake Erie's northern shore is the Canadian province of Ontario, specifically the Ontario Peninsula, with the U.S. states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York on its western, southern, and eastern shores. These jurisdictions divide the surface area of the lake with water boundaries. The largest city on the lake is Cleveland, anchoring the third largest U.S. metro area in the Great Lakes region, after Greater...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Erie”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Erie the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:28 AM | 90° E | 7:36 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:48 AM | 57° ENE | 9:05 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 16m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:50 AM | 122° ESE | 4:55 PM | 239° WSW | 24° | 9h 05m |
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 | 7:20 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:35 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:48 PM | 9h 26m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:26 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 7:09 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:59 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 35m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:30 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:37 PM | 15h 15m |
| July | 5:28 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:43 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:33 PM | 14h 58m |
| August | 6:02 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:57 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:04 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:09 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:44 PM | 7:12 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:34 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:32 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 07m |
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 Erie, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 5:04 AM – 5:54 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:57 AM – 4:57 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 1:06 AM – 3:56 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:16 PM – 3:26 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:06 PM – 2:06 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:14 PM – 12:04 AM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:11 PM – 10:01 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.56 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 58% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (85%). July 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 | 51 | 52 | 68 | 67 | 77 | 84 | 86 | 85 | 83 | 79 | 66 | 57 |
| Low °F | -4 | -10 | 0 | 21 | 33 | 42 | 52 | 57 | 44 | 35 | 22 | 9 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Erie?
What time is golden hour at Lake Erie?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Erie?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Erie?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Erie?
How far is Lake Erie from Geneva-on-the-Lake?
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.