Fuller Lake is a lake in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania at about 254 m (833 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 11.9 km (7.4 mi) NNW of Biglerville.
Fuller Lake is the body of water with 1.7 acres (0.0069 km2) of surface area in the former Pine Grove Quarry in Cooke Township, Cumberland County, south-central Pennsylvania. It is within Pine Grove Furnace State Park and the Michaux State Forest, near the community of Toland. The state park is in the South Mountain Range of the northern Blue Ridge Mountains System. During the period of iron ore excavation when the pit depth had sufficiently increased, mountain springs that filled the quarry required pumping.From the Wikipedia article “Fuller Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fuller Lake 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 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:41 AM | 58° ENE | 8:42 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 121° ESE | 4:48 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 19m |
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 | 7:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 38m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:08 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:04 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 5:08 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 00m |
| July | 5:22 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 45m |
| August | 5:53 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:54 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 21m |
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 Fuller Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:16 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:26 AM – 5:46 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:24 AM – 4:44 AM | 2.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:28 AM – 3:58 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:43 PM – 3:33 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:35 PM – 2:05 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:49 PM – 12:09 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 10:02 PM | 1.2 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:01 PM – 8:11 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.97 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 65 | 73 | 78 | 87 | 92 | 95 | 101 | 100 | 96 | 92 | 77 | 72 |
| Low °F | -10 | -14 | -1 | 20 | 27 | 39 | 49 | 48 | 36 | 21 | 5 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Fuller Lake, closest first.
State Park
State Park
Covered Bridge
State Park
Covered Bridge
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Historic Bushman House (Gettysburg)27 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Slyder Farmhouse27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fuller Lake?
What time is golden hour at Fuller Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fuller Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fuller Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fuller Lake?
How far is Fuller Lake from Biglerville?
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.