Located in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska, Karluk Lake is a lake at about 112 m (367 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 109 km (68 mi) WSW of Kodiak.
Karluk Lake, is a lake on Kodiak Island in Alaska, United States. It has no nearby settlements, being located in wilderness. Its outflow is the Karluk River. Karluk Lake is located near the O'Malley River.From the Wikipedia article “Karluk Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Karluk Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 41° (NE) at the June solstice and 136° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 320° (NW) in June to 225° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 56° in summer but only 9° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:19 AM | 89° E | 8:30 PM | 271° W | 33° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 41° NE | 11:19 PM | 320° NW | 56° | 18h 00m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:02 AM | 88° E | 8:17 PM | 272° W | 33° | 12h 15m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 9:57 AM | 136° SE | 4:34 PM | 225° SW | 9° | 6h 37m |
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 | 8:59 AM | 9:46 AM | 11:02 AM | 3:50 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:53 PM | 7h 20m |
| February | 8:06 AM | 8:46 AM | 9:44 AM | 5:19 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:57 PM | 9h 30m |
| March | 7:54 AM | 8:32 AM | 9:24 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:58 PM | 11h 47m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 7:07 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:34 PM | 9:26 PM | 10:08 PM | 14h 19m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:56 AM | 9:31 PM | 10:31 PM | 11:25 PM | 16h 35m |
| June | 4:09 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:27 AM | 10:08 PM | 11:16 PM | 12:26 AM | 17h 57m |
| July | 4:41 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:47 AM | 9:59 PM | 11:03 PM | 12:04 AM | 17h 20m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:38 AM | 9:05 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:46 PM | 15h 17m |
| September | 7:09 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:39 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:16 PM | 12h 49m |
| October | 8:12 AM | 8:51 AM | 9:45 AM | 6:20 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 10h 23m |
| November | 8:16 AM | 9:01 AM | 10:09 AM | 3:55 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:47 PM | 8h 02m |
| December | 9:02 AM | 9:52 AM | 11:20 AM | 3:04 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:23 PM | 6h 40m |
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 | — | -10° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| 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: 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 December as the cloudiest (80%). 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 (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 43 | 43 | 45 | 59 | 68 | 77 | 80 | 72 | 68 | 55 | 50 | 45 |
| Low °F | -8 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 26 | 36 | 42 | 42 | 33 | 16 | -2 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Karluk Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Karluk Lake?
What time is golden hour at Karluk Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Karluk Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Karluk Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Karluk Lake?
How far is Karluk Lake from Kodiak?
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.