Halfway Lake is a lake in Union County, Pennsylvania at about 457 m (1,499 ft) above sea level. It is part of R. B. Winter State Park. It sits roughly 14.5 km (9.0 mi) NW of Mifflinburg.
Halfway Lake is a lake in Hartley Township, Union County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Halfway Lake is the main focus of R. B. Winter State Park. The lake is filled by spring-fed mountain streams. It was formed by a man-made sandstone dam. The water temperature is usually approximately 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) due to much of the lake being filled with water from directly underground. There is an artesian spring, Little Bubbler, that comes up through the sand on the west end of the beach at the park.From the Wikipedia article “Halfway Lake (Pennsylvania)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Halfway 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 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:38 AM | 58° ENE | 8:45 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 121° ESE | 4:44 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 13m |
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 | 7:02 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:15 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 33m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:21 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 28m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 06m |
| July | 5:18 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:31 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 50m |
| August | 5:50 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 50m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 6:56 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 15m |
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 Halfway Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:26 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:38 AM – 5:48 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:37 AM – 4:47 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:34 AM – 3:54 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:51 PM – 3:21 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:42 PM – 2:02 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:53 PM – 12:03 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 10:04 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:01 PM – 8:01 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SW → SW |
| 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 ≈ 21.39 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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
- 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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Halfway Lake, closest first.
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
State Park
State Park
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
State Park
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Halfway Lake?
What time is golden hour at Halfway Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Halfway Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Halfway Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Halfway Lake?
How far is Halfway Lake from Mifflinburg?
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.