Located in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska, Lake Clark is a lake. It sits roughly 166 km (103 mi) W of Kalifornsky.
Lake Clark (Denaʼina: Qizhjeh Vena) is a lake in southwest Alaska. It drains through Six Mile Lake and the Newhalen River into Iliamna Lake. The lake is about 64 km (40 mi) long and about 8 km (5.0 mi) wide. Lake Clark was named for John W. Clark, chief of the Nushagak trading post and the first American non-Native to see the lake, when an expedition financed by a weekly magazine reached it in February 1891. The Dena'ina Athabascan name is Qizjeh Vena which means "place where people gather lake". The lake is within Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Clark (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Clark the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 34° (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) | 8:19 AM | 89° E | 8:32 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:51 AM | 34° NE | 11:49 PM | 326° NW | 53° | 18h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:02 AM | 88° E | 8:19 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:22 AM | 141° SE | 4:10 PM | 219° SW | 6° | 5h 47m |
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 | 9:14 AM | 10:07 AM | 11:44 AM | 3:11 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:41 PM | 6h 40m |
| February | 8:12 AM | 8:57 AM | 10:01 AM | 5:03 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:52 PM | 9h 11m |
| March | 7:53 AM | 8:34 AM | 9:30 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:19 PM | 9:01 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:36 PM | 10:22 PM | 14h 36m |
| May | 4:33 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:46 AM | 9:43 PM | 10:51 PM | 11:56 PM | 17h 13m |
| June | 3:01 AM | 4:51 AM | 6:12 AM | 10:25 PM | 11:46 PM | 1:37 AM | 18h 54m |
| July | 3:59 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:34 AM | 10:14 PM | 11:28 PM | 12:48 AM | 18h 08m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:32 AM | 9:13 PM | 10:13 PM | 11:05 PM | 15h 42m |
| September | 7:03 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:41 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:23 PM | 12h 55m |
| October | 8:15 AM | 8:58 AM | 9:58 AM | 6:09 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:52 PM | 10h 11m |
| November | 8:28 AM | 9:18 AM | 10:39 AM | 3:27 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:37 PM | 7h 30m |
| December | 9:19 AM | 10:18 AM | 12:29 PM | 1:57 PM | 4:09 PM | 5:07 PM | 5h 51m |
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: 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 1.0+ 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 58% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (82%). 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 | 38 | 35 | 38 | 49 | 71 | 79 | 80 | 74 | 65 | 51 | 41 | 37 |
| Low °F | -42 | -36 | -30 | -15 | -3 | 28 | 36 | 29 | 13 | -9 | -39 | -36 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.4 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
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
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Lake Clark, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Clark?
What time is golden hour at Lake Clark?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Clark?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Clark?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Clark?
How far is Lake Clark from Kalifornsky?
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.