Quartz Lake is a lake in Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska at about 293 m (961 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Deltana, about 48 km (30 mi) away (Quartz Lake lies NW of town).
Quartz Lake is a mid-sized lake about 10 mi (16 km) north of Delta Junction, Alaska. It was named Quartz Lake by early mineral prospectors in the area. Much of the lake shore is private property but the Quartz Lake State Recreation Area is also located on the lake via a short access road from the Richardson Highway. The recreation area has campgrounds, hiking trails, public use cabins, and access to both Quartz Lake and nearby Little Lost Lake. The lake is fairly shallow in most places, even if well offshore, but has a few deeper areas as well. It is stocked with rainbow trout, Arctic char and salmon. Stocking is partially funded by the Sportfish Restoration Program, which uses tax money from the purchase of fishing equipment and boating fuels to fund hatchery programs.From the Wikipedia article “Quartz Lake (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Quartz Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 19° (NNE) at the June solstice and 152° (SSE) in late December. Sunset moves from 341° (NNW) in June to 208° (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) | 7:44 AM | 89° E | 7:59 PM | 272° W | 26° | 12h 14m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 3:10 AM | 19° NNE | 12:22 AM | 341° NNW | 49° | 21h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:27 AM | 88° E | 7:46 PM | 272° W | 26° | 12h 19m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:40 AM | 152° SSE | 2:45 PM | 208° SSW | 2° | 4h 05m |
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 | 9:04 AM | 10:12 AM | — | — | 3:35 PM | 4:43 PM | 5h 23m |
| February | 7:48 AM | 8:40 AM | 9:59 AM | 3:58 PM | 5:17 PM | 6:08 PM | 8h 37m |
| March | 7:15 AM | 8:02 AM | 9:06 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:31 PM | 11h 42m |
| April | 5:15 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:10 PM | 9:17 PM | 10:12 PM | 15h 05m |
| May | 2:43 AM | 4:28 AM | 5:52 AM | 9:29 PM | 10:53 PM | 12:38 AM | 18h 25m |
| June | — | 3:12 AM | 5:08 AM | 10:21 PM | 12:17 AM | — | 21h 06m |
| July | — | 3:57 AM | 5:35 AM | 10:05 PM | 11:43 PM | — | 19h 46m |
| August | 4:30 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:47 AM | 8:51 PM | 10:02 PM | 11:07 PM | 16h 27m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 7:07 AM | 8:10 AM | 7:08 PM | 8:11 PM | 9:00 PM | 13h 04m |
| October | 7:46 AM | 8:35 AM | 9:45 AM | 5:15 PM | 6:25 PM | 7:14 PM | 9h 50m |
| November | 8:13 AM | 9:14 AM | 11:14 AM | 1:43 PM | 3:44 PM | 4:44 PM | 6h 30m |
| December | 9:15 AM | 10:34 AM | — | — | 2:45 PM | 4:04 PM | 4h 11m |
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 | — | -13° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.94 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 49% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (79%). 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 | 34 | 34 | 36 | 58 | 76 | 81 | 81 | 77 | 65 | 57 | 34 | 33 |
| Low °F | -46 | -43 | -45 | -22 | 2 | 24 | 37 | 28 | 12 | -17 | -36 | -43 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 4.7 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Quartz Lake?
What time is golden hour at Quartz Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Quartz Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Quartz Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Quartz Lake?
How far is Quartz Lake from Deltana?
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.