Located in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, Tustumena Lake is a lake. The nearest town is Cohoe, about 25 km (16 mi) away (Tustumena Lake lies SE of town).
Tustumena Lake (Dena'ina: Dusdu Bena) is a lake on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula in southcentral Alaska, within Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and near the town of Kasilof. Access is only via the Kasilof River, as there are no roads that lead directly to the lake.From the Wikipedia article “Tustumena Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tustumena Lake 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) | 8:06 AM | 89° E | 8:18 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 13m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:38 AM | 34° NE | 11:35 PM | 326° NW | 53° | 18h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:49 AM | 88° E | 8:05 PM | 272° W | 30° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:09 AM | 141° SE | 3:56 PM | 219° SW | 6° | 5h 48m |
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 | 9:00 AM | 9:54 AM | 11:30 AM | 2:58 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:27 PM | 6h 40m |
| February | 7:59 AM | 8:43 AM | 9:48 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:39 PM | 9h 11m |
| March | 7:39 AM | 8:21 AM | 9:17 AM | 7:10 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:48 PM | 11h 45m |
| April | 6:00 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:22 PM | 10:09 PM | 14h 36m |
| May | 4:20 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:32 AM | 9:30 PM | 10:37 PM | 11:42 PM | 17h 13m |
| June | 2:48 AM | 4:38 AM | 5:59 AM | 10:12 PM | 11:32 PM | 1:23 AM | 18h 54m |
| July | 3:46 AM | 5:06 AM | 6:20 AM | 10:00 PM | 11:14 PM | 12:35 AM | 18h 08m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:59 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:52 PM | 15h 42m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:28 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:10 PM | 12h 55m |
| October | 8:02 AM | 8:45 AM | 9:44 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:38 PM | 10h 11m |
| November | 8:15 AM | 9:04 AM | 10:25 AM | 3:13 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:24 PM | 7h 30m |
| December | 9:06 AM | 10:04 AM | 12:16 PM | 1:44 PM | 3:56 PM | 4:54 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.88 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 70% average cloud cover) and December 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 | 37 | 39 | 50 | 64 | 72 | 82 | 85 | 82 | 69 | 59 | 47 | 42 |
| Low °F | -23 | -21 | -9 | -4 | 22 | 35 | 40 | 38 | 27 | 2 | -10 | -18 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tustumena Lake?
What time is golden hour at Tustumena Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tustumena Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tustumena Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tustumena Lake?
How far is Tustumena Lake from Cohoe?
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.