Mendenhall Lake — a lake in Juneau City and Borough, Alaska — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Juneau, about 16.1 km (10.0 mi) away (Mendenhall Lake lies NNW of town).
Mendenhall Lake (Tlingit: Sit'.áa) is a proglacial lake in the Mendenhall Valley at the 1962 terminus of Mendenhall Glacier, three miles (4.8 km) north of the Juneau Airport in the Coast Mountains. It is the source of the short Mendenhall River. The lake is included in the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area of the Tongass National Forest.From the Wikipedia article “Mendenhall Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mendenhall Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 39° (NE) at the June solstice and 138° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 322° (NW) in June to 223° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 55° in summer but only 8° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 32° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:51 AM | 39° NE | 10:10 PM | 322° NW | 55° | 18h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 88° E | 7:00 PM | 272° W | 32° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:47 AM | 138° SE | 3:07 PM | 223° SW | 8° | 6h 20m |
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 | 7:46 AM | 8:35 AM | 9:57 AM | 2:19 PM | 3:42 PM | 4:31 PM | 7h 07m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:32 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 23m |
| March | 6:35 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:08 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 5:03 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:17 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 25m |
| May | 3:35 AM | 4:32 AM | 5:34 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:19 PM | 10:16 PM | 16h 47m |
| June | 2:33 AM | 3:52 AM | 5:04 AM | 8:55 PM | 10:08 PM | 11:26 PM | 18h 16m |
| July | 3:10 AM | 4:16 AM | 5:24 AM | 8:46 PM | 9:53 PM | 11:00 PM | 17h 37m |
| August | 4:33 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 26m |
| September | 5:48 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:20 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 51m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:35 PM | 10h 19m |
| November | 7:02 AM | 7:48 AM | 9:00 AM | 2:27 PM | 3:40 PM | 4:26 PM | 7h 51m |
| December | 7:50 AM | 8:42 AM | 10:20 AM | 1:28 PM | 3:06 PM | 3:59 PM | 6h 24m |
Local time (America/Juneau), 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 | — | -4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.66 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 0.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 74% 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 | 41 | 36 | 45 | 48 | 60 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 67 | 55 | 44 | 38 |
| Low °F | -27 | -22 | -19 | -3 | 10 | 32 | 35 | 36 | 27 | 1 | -19 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 13.0 | 9.3 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 7.9 | 10.8 | 14.7 | 14.8 | 13.0 | 13.3 |
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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- 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 Mendenhall Lake, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
WaterfallScenic Viewpoint
Lake
Glacier
LighthouseLighthouseLighthouseCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mendenhall Campground1.1 km (0.7 mi) · reservable
- Sítʼ Yá Hítʼ Cabin1.3 km (0.8 mi) · reservable
- John Muir Cabin7.6 km (4.7 mi) · reservable
- Peterson Lake Cabin9.7 km (6.1 mi) · reservable
- Auk Village Campground9.8 km (6.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mendenhall Lake?
What time is golden hour at Mendenhall Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mendenhall Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mendenhall Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mendenhall Lake?
How far is Mendenhall Lake from Juneau?
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.