Located in Addison County, Vermont, Lake Dunmore is a lake at about 173 m (568 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 2.1 km (1.3 mi) ENE of Salisbury.
Lake Dunmore is a freshwater lake in Addison County, Vermont. The lake spans the towns of Salisbury and Leicester and has a surface area of 985 acres (3.98 km2). Lake Dunmore is over 3 miles long (oriented north-south) and up to 1 mile wide. The primary source of water is Sucker Brook, which rises in the adjacent Moosalamoo National Recreation Area of the Green Mountain National Forest. The lake is drained by Leicester River, a tributary to Otter Creek, which in turn empties into Lake Champlain. Branbury State Park occupies 69 acres (28 hectares) of the eastern shore and offers a sandy beach, canoe rentals, and campsites. Vermont Route 53 follows the eastern and northern shores of the lake. Most of the shoreline is privately owned. Keewaydin (camp) operates two camps on Lake Dunmore. Keewaydin Dunmore for boys was established in 1910. Songadeewin, a camp for girls, was established in...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Dunmore”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Dunmore the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:11 AM | 56° NE | 8:39 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:40 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 123° ESE | 4:18 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 54m |
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 | 6:52 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:52 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 44m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 4:49 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:31 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:08 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:49 PM | 8h 55m |
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 Dunmore, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:45 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:41 AM – 4:21 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:46 AM – 3:16 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:02 PM – 2:42 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:48 PM – 1:18 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 11:20 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 9:13 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.6 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 59 | 68 | 75 | 82 | 86 | 94 | 97 | 92 | 90 | 78 | 69 | 65 |
| Low °F | -32 | -24 | -19 | 5 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 44 | 33 | 20 | -2 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Lake Dunmore, closest first.
State Park
Waterfall
Covered Bridge
Mountain PassWaterfall
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeWaterfall
Covered BridgeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Silver Lake Campground2.1 km (1.3 mi) · reservable
- Moosalamoo Campground4.3 km (2.7 mi) · reservable
- Chittenden Brook Campground15.9 km (9.9 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Dunmore?
What time is golden hour at Lake Dunmore?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Dunmore?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Dunmore?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Dunmore?
How far is Lake Dunmore from Salisbury?
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.