Colonial Lake is a lake in Charleston County, South Carolina. It sits roughly 900 m W of Charleston.
Colonial Lake is a tidal pond in Charleston, South Carolina with wide walkways around it. The area is used as a park. For many years the lake was known as the Rutledge Street Pond; some residents still call it "The Pond." It acquired the name Colonial Lake in 1881, in honor of the "Colonial Commons" established in 1768.From the Wikipedia article “Colonial Lake (Charleston, South Carolina)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Colonial Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:24 AM | 90° E | 7:32 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:13 AM | 61° ENE | 8:32 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:09 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:19 AM | 118° ESE | 5:18 PM | 242° WSW | 34° | 9h 59m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 14m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:31 PM | 11h 02m |
| March | 7:06 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:15 PM | 12h 59m |
| May | 5:55 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 50m |
| June | 5:44 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 18m |
| July | 5:55 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 06m |
| August | 6:18 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 22m |
| September | 6:39 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:52 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:13 PM | 11h 24m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 29m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 00m |
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 Colonial Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:49 AM – 5:39 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:00 AM – 6:00 AM | 2.0 | 25° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:56 AM – 5:16 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:57 PM – 4:37 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:12 PM – 4:22 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:08 PM – 2:58 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:36 PM – 12:56 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:51 PM – 11:01 PM | 2.2 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:10 PM – 9:00 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.45 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show April as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 72 | 71 | 72 | 79 | 83 | 86 | 87 | 87 | 87 | 83 | 79 | 75 |
| Low °F | 32 | 37 | 41 | 49 | 58 | 68 | 76 | 74 | 65 | 53 | 46 | 36 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.8 |
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.
- 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 Colonial Lake, closest first.
Lighthouse
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Botanical GardenFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Colonial Lake?
What time is golden hour at Colonial Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Colonial Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Colonial Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Colonial Lake?
How far is Colonial Lake from Charleston?
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.