Bear Lake is a lake in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska at about 146 m (479 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 4.6 km (2.9 mi) NNE of Bear Creek.
Bear Lake (one of a dozen lakes by this name in Alaska) is near the town of Seward and Resurrection Bay, in the Kenai Peninsula Borough on the Kenai Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is publicly accessible by turning down Bear Creek Road, which connects it to the Seward Highway, and then Old Sawmill Road. It is the site of salmon enhancement activities since 1962. This program is now managed by the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association. Current projects at Bear Lake focus on increasing sockeye and coho salmon by controlling species that are predators and competitors, and by stocking the lake with those salmon species. The lake is primarily fed by the meltwater of Bear Lake Glacier, which feeds into it via the upper portion of Bear Creek. The Bear Lake Formation provides scientists with important geological information about the Miocene environment.From the Wikipedia article “Bear Lake (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bear Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 35° (NE) at the June solstice and 141° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 326° (NW) in June to 219° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 53° in summer but only 6° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:59 AM | 89° E | 8:12 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:32 AM | 35° NE | 11:28 PM | 326° NW | 53° | 18h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:43 AM | 88° E | 7:59 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:02 AM | 141° SE | 3:50 PM | 219° SW | 6° | 5h 48m |
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 | 8:54 AM | 9:47 AM | 11:23 AM | 2:52 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:21 PM | 6h 41m |
| February | 7:53 AM | 8:37 AM | 9:41 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:32 PM | 9h 11m |
| March | 7:33 AM | 8:15 AM | 9:10 AM | 7:04 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:41 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:16 PM | 10:02 PM | 14h 36m |
| May | 4:14 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:26 AM | 9:23 PM | 10:31 PM | 11:35 PM | 17h 12m |
| June | 2:43 AM | 4:32 AM | 5:52 AM | 10:05 PM | 11:25 PM | 1:15 AM | 18h 53m |
| July | 3:40 AM | 5:00 AM | 6:14 AM | 9:54 PM | 11:08 PM | 12:28 AM | 18h 08m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:53 PM | 9:54 PM | 10:45 PM | 15h 41m |
| September | 6:44 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:21 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:21 PM | 9:03 PM | 12h 55m |
| October | 7:56 AM | 8:38 AM | 9:38 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:32 PM | 10h 11m |
| November | 8:08 AM | 8:58 AM | 10:18 AM | 3:07 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:18 PM | 7h 30m |
| December | 8:59 AM | 9:58 AM | 12:08 PM | 1:39 PM | 3:49 PM | 4:48 PM | 5h 52m |
Local time (America/Anchorage), 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
The Milky Way's bright core (in Sagittarius) barely clears the southern horizon at this latitude, so focus on winter Milky Way, aurora or star trails instead.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -21° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.86 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show March as the clearest month (about 69% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (84%). 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 | 34 | 34 | 37 | 46 | 59 | 76 | 77 | 75 | 62 | 49 | 41 | 36 |
| Low °F | -22 | -18 | -24 | -3 | 13 | 30 | 35 | 32 | 23 | -2 | -15 | -18 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.1 | 5.9 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 6.7 | 8.4 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 7.3 |
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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Bear Lake, closest first.
Lake
Mountain Peak
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
GlacierCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Dale Clemens Cabin3.3 km (2.1 mi) · reservable
- Primrose Campground15.7 km (9.8 mi) · reservable
- Lower Paradise Lake Cabin23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Ptarmigan Creek23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Trail River Cabin24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bear Lake?
What time is golden hour at Bear Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bear Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bear Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bear Lake?
How far is Bear Lake from Bear Creek?
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.