Located in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, Byers Lake is a lake at about 231 m (758 ft) above sea level. It is part of Denali State Park. It sits roughly 127 km (79 mi) NNW of Meadow Lakes.
Byers Lake (Denaʼina: Quntughet'ut bena is a small lake in Denali State Park, within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States, 28 miles (45 km) north of Talkeetna. The lake is named for a fisherman who was brought there many times by bush pilot Don Sheldon in the 1950s. It is accessible from the George Parks Highway and has a developed campground, several public-use cabins and a small boat dock. The Alaska Veterans Memorial is on a hilltop adjacent to the lake. Gasoline-powered motors and floatplane landings are not permitted on the lake. The lake used to contain a sizable population of lake trout but due to overfishing in the time since the highway was built in 1972 the population has dwindled, and landings of lake trout are now rare, although there are still burbot in the lake as well. Migrating salmon also come into the lake but salmon fishing is not permitted. Campers...From the Wikipedia article “Byers Lake (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Byers Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 27° (NNE) at the June solstice and 147° (SSE) in late December. Sunset moves from 334° (NNW) in June to 213° (SSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 51° in summer but only 4° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:02 AM | 89° E | 8:16 PM | 272° W | 27° | 12h 14m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:58 AM | 27° NNE | 12:08 AM | 334° NNW | 51° | 20h 09m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:45 AM | 88° E | 8:03 PM | 272° W | 27° | 12h 18m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:35 AM | 147° SSE | 3:24 PM | 213° SSW | 4° | 4h 50m |
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 | 9:11 AM | 10:13 AM | 12:42 PM | 1:39 PM | 4:08 PM | 5:10 PM | 5h 56m |
| February | 8:02 AM | 8:50 AM | 10:03 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:29 PM | 8h 51m |
| March | 7:33 AM | 8:19 AM | 9:19 AM | 7:01 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:47 PM | 11h 43m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:28 PM | 10:20 PM | 14h 54m |
| May | 3:37 AM | 5:00 AM | 6:17 AM | 9:38 PM | 10:55 PM | 12:18 AM | 17h 55m |
| June | — | 3:59 AM | 5:38 AM | 10:26 PM | 12:04 AM | — | 20h 05m |
| July | — | 4:35 AM | 6:02 AM | 10:12 PM | 11:39 PM | — | 19h 03m |
| August | 5:02 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:08 AM | 9:03 PM | 10:10 PM | 11:09 PM | 16h 08m |
| September | 6:40 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:26 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:13 PM | 13h 00m |
| October | 8:01 AM | 8:48 AM | 9:53 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:32 PM | 9h 59m |
| November | 8:23 AM | 9:19 AM | 10:58 AM | 2:34 PM | 4:13 PM | 5:09 PM | 6h 55m |
| December | 9:20 AM | 10:29 AM | — | — | 3:24 PM | 4:33 PM | 4h 55m |
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 | — | -12° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -8° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -13° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -22° | — |
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 ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.0+ 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 53% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 42 | 40 | 43 | 54 | 73 | 84 | 85 | 83 | 69 | 55 | 38 | 37 |
| Low °F | -28 | -27 | -23 | -10 | 5 | 29 | 40 | 32 | 17 | -9 | -21 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 |
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 lake
- 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.
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 Byers Lake, closest first.
State Park
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Byers Lake?
What time is golden hour at Byers Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Byers Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Byers Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Byers Lake?
How far is Byers Lake from Meadow Lakes?
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.