Located in Newport County, Rhode Island, Quicksand Pond is a lake. It sits roughly 13.2 km (8.2 mi) E of Newport East.
Quicksand Pond is a pond in Little Compton, Rhode Island. It is a major winter flounder spawning area, has Rare Species Habitat and Significant Natural Communities designation, and is part of a proposed natural greenway corridor. Quicksand Pond is also entirely surrounded by critical habitats, and there are a number of protected areas adjacent to Quicksand Pond. It is part of the Southeastern Coastal Watershed Basin. It is part of one of the most scenic and undisturbed coastal areas in Rhode Island, and its protection is of high priority. Approximately half of the shorelines on Quicksand Pond are undeveloped, the remainder are developed as private residences.From the Wikipedia article “Quicksand Pond”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Quicksand Pond the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (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 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:49 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:12 AM | 57° ENE | 8:23 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:33 AM | 89° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:08 AM | 121° ESE | 4:18 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 10m |
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 | 6:39 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 30m |
| February | 6:12 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:30 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:37 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 4:55 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:29 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 4:37 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 15h 10m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 54m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:24 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:29 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:33 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:04 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:15 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 6:33 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:49 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:48 PM | 9h 11m |
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 Quicksand Pond, 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 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:14 AM – 5:14 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:15 AM – 4:15 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:13 AM – 3:23 AM | 3.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:31 PM – 3:01 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:21 PM – 1:31 AM | 3.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:32 PM – 11:32 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:31 PM – 9:31 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:38 PM – 7:38 PM | 0.0 | 10° | 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.14 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 August as the clearest month (about 52% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (69%). August 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 | 58 | 54 | 67 | 82 | 82 | 90 | 96 | 92 | 89 | 81 | 72 | 65 |
| Low °F | 0 | -3 | 9 | 24 | 36 | 44 | 54 | 55 | 47 | 31 | 17 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.2 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
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
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Quicksand Pond, closest first.
Lighthouse
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
Lighthouse
Botanical Garden
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Beach
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Quicksand Pond?
What time is golden hour at Quicksand Pond?
Where does the sun rise and set at Quicksand Pond?
Can you see the Milky Way from Quicksand Pond?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Quicksand Pond?
How far is Quicksand Pond from Newport East?
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.