Tchefuncte River Range Lights — a lighthouse in Saint Tammany Parish, Louisiana — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 10.2 km (6.3 mi) WNW of Mandeville. It dates from 1838.
The Tchefuncte River Range Lights are a range that was first established in 1838 to aid vessels entering the Tchefuncte River from the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. The lighting apparatus was supplied by Winslow Lewis and consisted of nine lamps with several fourteen-inch reflectors. The original rear tower suffered during the Civil War and was replaced with the current tower in 1868. The new tower, ten feet taller than the first, was built on the same foundation, using some of the same brick. It was given a lantern which had been removed from Cat Island Light in Mississippi. The rear tower has a black vertical stripe to serve as the range line in daytime. It sits on a spit of land, but is accessible only by boat. The front tower is marked with a standard USCG KRW daymark, with a red stripe between two white stripes. It is a skeleton tower and sits in open water. The...From the Wikipedia article “Tchefuncte River Range Lights”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tchefuncte River Range Lights the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 83° in summer but only 36° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:00 AM | 62° ENE | 8:06 PM | 298° WNW | 83° | 14h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:50 AM | 89° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:54 AM | 117° ESE | 5:05 PM | 243° WSW | 36° | 10h 11m |
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
Lighthouses work at both ends of the day: blue hour when the beacon is lit, and golden hour when white towers take on warm tones.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:33 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 24m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:15 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:14 PM | 11h 08m |
| March | 6:48 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 54m |
| May | 5:41 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 41m |
| June | 5:32 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:32 PM | 14h 06m |
| July | 5:43 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 55m |
| August | 6:03 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 15m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 6:39 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 27m |
| November | 6:02 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:02 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:31 PM | 10h 38m |
| December | 6:24 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:29 PM | 10h 12m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Tchefuncte River Range Lights, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 31° 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 | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:21 AM – 5:21 AM | 1.0 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:30 AM – 5:50 AM | 2.3 | 27° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:33 AM – 5:03 AM | 3.5 | 31° | SE → S |
| May | 11:30 PM – 4:30 AM | 5.0 | 31° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:43 PM – 4:13 AM | 6.5 | 31° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:40 PM – 2:50 AM | 5.2 | 31° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:11 PM – 12:51 AM | 3.7 | 31° | S → SW |
| September | 8:29 PM – 10:49 PM | 2.3 | 28° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:51 PM – 8:51 PM | 1.0 | 19° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 20.98 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 38% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (60%). 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 | 79 | 82 | 87 | 97 | 100 | 105 | 105 | 107 | 102 | 98 | 87 | 81 |
| Low °F | 18 | 23 | 22 | 36 | 41 | 58 | 64 | 57 | 49 | 34 | 22 | 22 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 6.8 | 6.2 | 6.9 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 5.4 |
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 lighthouse
- During blue hour, use 5–15 second exposures to capture the beam; check whether the light is still active.
- Shoot from the beach or a jetty to place the tower against open sky and sea.
- Stormy weather and crashing surf add drama; keep a safe distance from waves on rocks and piers.
- A telephoto from across a bay compresses the tower against cliffs or the moon.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Summer brings open towers and tours; autumn and winter offer storms, fewer crowds and lower sun angles.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Telephoto lens, ND filter for smooth water, Rain cover. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is Tchefuncta River, Lake Pontchartrain, 885 m away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Tchefuncte River Range Lights, closest first.
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Lake
National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tchefuncte River Range Lights?
What time is golden hour at Tchefuncte River Range Lights?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tchefuncte River Range Lights?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tchefuncte River Range Lights?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tchefuncte River Range Lights?
How far is Tchefuncte River Range Lights from Mandeville?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.