Harding Lake — a lake in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska at about 218 m (715 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 11.5 km (7.1 mi) SSE of Salcha.
Harding Lake is a lake in the Fairbanks North Star Borough in Interior Alaska. It is named for President Warren G. Harding, who visited Alaska just before he died. Prior to that it was known as Salchaket Lake Access to the lake is via the Richardson HighwayFrom the Wikipedia article “Harding Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Harding Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 18° (NNE) at the June solstice and 153° (SSE) in late December. Sunset moves from 342° (NNW) in June to 207° (SSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 49° in summer but only 2° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:48 AM | 89° E | 8:03 PM | 272° W | 26° | 12h 14m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:08 AM | 18° NNE | 12:32 AM | 342° NNW | 49° | 21h 24m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:31 AM | 88° E | 7:50 PM | 272° W | 26° | 12h 19m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:48 AM | 153° SSE | 2:45 PM | 207° SSW | 2° | 3h 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
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 | 9:10 AM | 10:18 AM | — | — | 3:36 PM | 4:45 PM | 5h 18m |
| February | 7:53 AM | 8:45 AM | 10:05 AM | 4:00 PM | 5:20 PM | 6:12 PM | 8h 35m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 8:06 AM | 9:11 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:36 PM | 11h 41m |
| April | 5:18 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:22 PM | 10:18 PM | 15h 07m |
| May | 2:39 AM | 4:30 AM | 5:55 AM | 9:34 PM | 11:00 PM | 12:51 AM | 18h 30m |
| June | — | 3:10 AM | 5:11 AM | 10:27 PM | 12:27 AM | — | 21h 17m |
| July | — | 3:57 AM | 5:37 AM | 10:11 PM | 11:51 PM | — | 19h 53m |
| August | 4:32 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:50 AM | 8:56 PM | 10:07 PM | 11:14 PM | 16h 29m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:15 AM | 7:12 PM | 8:16 PM | 9:05 PM | 13h 05m |
| October | 7:50 AM | 8:39 AM | 9:50 AM | 5:17 PM | 6:28 PM | 7:17 PM | 9h 49m |
| November | 8:19 AM | 9:20 AM | 11:25 AM | 1:41 PM | 3:46 PM | 4:47 PM | 6h 26m |
| December | 9:21 AM | 10:42 AM | — | — | 2:45 PM | 4:06 PM | 4h 04m |
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 | — | -14° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -7° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | No darkness | — | — | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -12° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -14° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.92 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 51% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 35 | 35 | 44 | 60 | 79 | 83 | 82 | 81 | 67 | 60 | 35 | 36 |
| Low °F | -44 | -39 | -42 | -18 | 8 | 26 | 37 | 30 | 16 | -16 | -32 | -38 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.4 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Harding Lake?
What time is golden hour at Harding Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Harding Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Harding Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Harding Lake?
How far is Harding Lake from Salcha?
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.