Thirty Mile Point Light is a lighthouse in Niagara County, New York. It is part of Golden Hill State Park. It sits roughly 18.1 km (11.2 mi) N of Middleport. It dates from 1876. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Thirty Mile Point Light is a lighthouse on the south shore of Lake Ontario in Niagara County, New York. It is part of Golden Hill State Park, a New York state park. The lighthouse is open to the public. It gets its name because it is the point 30 miles east of the Niagara River. The lighthouse was built in 1875 of hand-carved stone. The old tower is being restored. The lighthouse is listed in the Historic American Buildings Survey as NY-6154. There are three photos available in the survey. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Thirty Mile Point Light was one of five lighthouses chosen for the "Lighthouses of the Great Lakes" postage stamp series designed by Howard Koslow in 1995. There was one lighthouse chosen on each of the Great Lakes. The four other lighthouses were Split Rock Light on Lake Superior, St Joseph Light on Lake Michigan, Spectacle Reef...From the Wikipedia article “Thirty Mile Point Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Thirty Mile Point Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (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) | 7:18 AM | 90° E | 7:26 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 56° NE | 8:59 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 122° ESE | 4:42 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 57m |
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 | 7:13 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:29 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 19m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:03 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:18 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 41m |
| June | 4:58 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 23m |
| July | 5:13 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:30 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 06m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:54 PM | 6:32 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 43m |
| December | 7:08 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:27 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:12 PM | 8h 59m |
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 Thirty Mile Point Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:06 AM – 5:46 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:01 AM – 4:41 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:04 AM – 3:44 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:18 PM – 3:08 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:06 PM – 1:46 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:10 PM – 11:50 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:04 PM – 9:44 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.44 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 66% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (83%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 54 | 50 | 59 | 62 | 74 | 80 | 86 | 86 | 82 | 74 | 62 | 56 |
| Low °F | 2 | -4 | -1 | 18 | 34 | 39 | 49 | 54 | 44 | 34 | 21 | 7 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.6 |
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
- Many lighthouses are on private or Coast Guard property — check public access and opening hours.
- Moonrise or the Milky Way over the tower makes a classic night composition; plan with the azimuth tables.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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.
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 Thirty Mile Point Light, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Thirty Mile Point Light?
What time is golden hour at Thirty Mile Point Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Thirty Mile Point Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Thirty Mile Point Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Thirty Mile Point Light?
How far is Thirty Mile Point Light from Middleport?
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.