Lake Forest is a city of about 82,492 people in Orange County, California, at 148 m (486 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:00 AM and sets at 6:12 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:38 PM – 6:28 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:33 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:10 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:01 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:26 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:21 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:48 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:51 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 5:41 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:32 PM | 14h 23m |
| July | 5:52 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 11m |
| August | 6:14 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 6:35 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:26 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:24 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:24 AM | 7:00 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:15 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 6:49 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 56m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Lake Forest
At Lake Forest 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 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
Best photo spots near Lake Forest
133 photo locations lie within 80 km of Lake Forest. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Lake Forest is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Mud Caves, about 161 km (100 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from February to October, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mud Caves | Cave | 161 km (100 mi) | 3 |
| Carrizo Canyon | Canyon | 165 km (102 mi) | 3 |
| San Nicolas Island Light | Lighthouse | 169 km (105 mi) | 3 |
| Pisgah Crater | Volcano | 172 km (107 mi) | 3 |
| Lavic Lake volcanic field | Volcano | 172 km (107 mi) | 3 |
| Fish Creek Mountains Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 173 km (107 mi) | 3 |
| Salton Sea | Lake | 175 km (109 mi) | 3 |
| Devils Canyon | Canyon | 179 km (111 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:30 AM – 5:10 AM | 0.7 | 16° |
| March | 3:32 AM – 5:32 AM | 2.0 | 24° |
| April | 1:40 AM – 4:50 AM | 3.2 | 27° |
| May | 11:42 PM – 4:12 AM | 4.5 | 27° |
| June | 9:48 PM – 3:48 AM | 6.0 | 27° |
| July | 9:44 PM – 2:24 AM | 4.7 | 27° |
| August | 9:10 PM – 12:20 AM | 3.2 | 27° |
| September | 8:23 PM – 10:23 PM | 2.0 | 24° |
| October | 7:41 PM – 8:21 PM | 0.7 | 17° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 28% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (43%). August is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.