Becharof Refuge Lake [1]
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57.9522° N156.3761° WBortle 1Anchorage

Becharof Lake Photography Guide

Lake in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska

  • Bortle 1 sky
  • Sunset azimuth 224°–321°
  • Clearest: March
Photo: Barclay, Connie - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service · Public domain · source

Becharof Lake — a lake in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 236 km (146 mi) W of Kodiak.

Becharof Lake is a 37-mile (60 km) long lake on the Alaska Peninsula. It is located 23 miles (37 km) south-east of Egegik, in the Aleutian Range. It is the second largest lake in Alaska after Iliamna Lake. It ranks eighth on list of largest lakes of the United States by volume and fourteenth on list of largest lakes of the United States by area.From the Wikipedia article “Becharof Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Nearest town
Kodiak
236 km (146 mi)
Sky darkness
Bortle 1
Excellent dark-sky site
Clearest month
March
73% cloud
Golden hour (Oct)
6:27 PM
sunset 7:22 PM

Light at Becharof Lake

Live
Sunrise
9:13 AM
Sunset
7:09 PM
Golden hour AM
8:48 AM – 10:09 AM
Golden hour PM
6:12 PM – 7:34 PM
Blue hour AM
8:32 AM – 8:48 AM
Blue hour PM
7:34 PM – 7:49 PM
Full darkness
9:20 PM – 7:04 AM
Moon
Waxing Gibbous · 72%
Moonrise / set
5:41 PM / 1:58 AM
Day length
9h 56m
Sunrise azimuth
109°
Sunset azimuth
252°
000306091215182124
NightTwilightBlue hourGolden hourDaylight

Times in America/Anchorage. Golden hour = sun −4° to +6°; blue hour = −6° to −4°.

Clouds at sunrise & sunset

NWS

Hourly sky cover from the National Weather Service. 20–60% cloud often gives the most colorful sunrises and sunsets.

Sunrise & sunset directions

At Becharof Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 40° (NE) at the June solstice and 137° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 321° (NW) in June to 224° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 55° in summer but only 9° in winter.

NESW60°30°
June solsticeEquinoxesDecember solstice
DateSunriseAzimuthSunsetAzimuthNoon sunDaylight
March equinox (Mar 20)8:28 AM89° E8:40 PM271° W32°12h 12m
June solstice (Jun 21)5:23 AM40° NE11:33 PM321° NW55°18h 10m
September equinox (Sep 22)8:11 AM88° E8:27 PM272° W32°12h 15m
December solstice (Dec 21)10:10 AM137° SE4:38 PM224° SW9°6h 28m

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 startsSunriseGolden hour endsGolden hour startsSunsetBlue hour endsDaylight
January9:11 AM9:59 AM11:19 AM3:53 PM5:12 PM6:00 PM7h 13m
February8:16 AM8:57 AM9:56 AM5:25 PM6:24 PM7:05 PM9h 27m
March8:03 AM8:42 AM9:34 AM7:36 PM8:29 PM9:08 PM11h 47m
April6:32 AM7:15 AM8:08 AM8:44 PM9:37 PM10:20 PM14h 22m
May5:06 AM6:02 AM7:03 AM9:42 PM10:44 PM11:39 PM16h 42m
June4:09 AM5:23 AM6:34 AM10:20 PM11:31 PM12:45 AM18h 07m
July4:43 AM5:48 AM6:54 AM10:11 PM11:17 PM12:21 AM17h 29m
August6:03 AM6:50 AM7:46 AM9:16 PM10:12 PM10:58 PM15h 21m
September7:17 AM7:57 AM8:48 AM7:55 PM8:47 PM9:26 PM12h 50m
October8:22 AM9:01 AM9:57 AM6:27 PM7:22 PM8:02 PM10h 21m
November8:28 AM9:13 AM10:23 AM3:59 PM5:09 PM5:54 PM7h 56m
December9:14 AM10:06 AM11:39 AM3:04 PM4:37 PM5:29 PM6h 31m

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.

MonthCore visible (15th)HoursMax altitudeDirection
JanuaryBelow 10° in darkness—-10°—
FebruaryBelow 10° in darkness—-4°—
MarchBelow 10° in darkness—-1°—
AprilBelow 10° in darkness—-1°—
MayBelow 10° in darkness—1°—
JuneNo darkness———
JulyNo darkness———
AugustBelow 10° in darkness—-9°—
SeptemberBelow 10° in darkness—-3°—
OctoberBelow 10° in darkness—-5°—
NovemberBelow 10° in darkness—-10°—
DecemberBelow 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.95 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 2.5+ 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 73% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (86%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.

Average cloud cover (%)

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High °F434345556574767564544945
Low °F-17-15-9825354142328-5-16
Precip. (in)3.73.72.33.03.13.23.74.35.14.73.94.5

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

  • Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
  • After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
  • 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.
  • Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.

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 Becharof Lake, closest first.

Becharof National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge
Becharof National Wildlife Refuge9.1 km away · Lake and Peninsula Borough
Ugashik-PeulikMountain Peak
Ugashik-Peulik22 km away · Lake and Peninsula Borough

FAQ

When is the best time to photograph Becharof Lake?
March has the clearest skies on average. For light, plan around the first and last hour of sun. Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
What time is golden hour at Becharof Lake?
In October the evening golden hour starts around 6:27 PM and ends after sunset at about 7:22 PM; the morning golden hour lasts until about 9:57 AM. Use the live widget above for exact times on any date.
Where does the sun rise and set at Becharof Lake?
Sunrise azimuth ranges from about 40° in June to 137° in December; sunset ranges from 321° to 224°. See the sun-path diagram for the full arc.
Can you see the Milky Way from Becharof Lake?
The Milky Way core stays very low or the nights are too bright at this latitude. The estimated sky quality is Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site).
Do you need a permit to photograph at Becharof Lake?
Personal photography from public land rarely needs a permit. Commercial shoots, models, large groups and drones may require permission from the land manager — check before you go.
How far is Becharof Lake from Kodiak?
About 236 km (146 mi) in a straight line; driving distance is usually longer, especially in mountain terrain.

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.