Patagonia Lake is a lake in Santa Cruz County, Arizona at about 1,156 m (3,793 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Rio Rico, about 11.7 km (7.3 mi) away (Patagonia Lake lies ENE of town).
Patagonia Lake is a man-made reservoir in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States, located southwest of the town of Patagonia, Arizona and northeast of Nogales. The lake was created by damming Sonoita Creek, and is a popular area for boating and sport fishing. Facilities are maintained by Arizona State Parks as part of Patagonia Lake State Park.From the Wikipedia article “Patagonia Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Patagonia Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 82° in summer but only 35° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:28 AM | 90° E | 6:35 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 62° ENE | 7:32 PM | 299° WNW | 82° | 14h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:12 AM | 89° E | 6:22 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 117° ESE | 5:25 PM | 243° WSW | 35° | 10h 06m |
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 | 6:58 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 19m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 05m |
| March | 6:10 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:07 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:56 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 5:31 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:28 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:17 PM | 12h 57m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:40 PM | 13h 45m |
| June | 4:51 AM | 5:19 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:58 PM | 14h 11m |
| July | 5:02 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:58 PM | 14h 00m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:34 PM | 13h 18m |
| September | 5:44 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:40 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:55 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 6:03 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:00 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:17 PM | 11h 26m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:52 PM | 10h 34m |
| December | 6:49 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 07m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), 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
From Patagonia Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 30° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:52 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:02 AM – 5:02 AM | 2.0 | 26° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:57 AM – 4:27 AM | 3.5 | 30° | SE → S |
| May | 10:56 PM – 3:46 AM | 4.8 | 30° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:09 PM – 3:39 AM | 6.5 | 30° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:06 PM – 2:06 AM | 5.0 | 30° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:35 PM – 12:05 AM | 3.5 | 30° | S → SW |
| September | 7:52 PM – 10:02 PM | 2.2 | 26° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:13 PM – 8:03 PM | 0.8 | 18° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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 ≈ 21.33 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 20% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (62%). June is the warmest month and December 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 | 76 | 83 | 86 | 95 | 104 | 109 | 105 | 103 | 100 | 95 | 86 | 78 |
| Low °F | 17 | 11 | 22 | 31 | 36 | 49 | 59 | 59 | 49 | 28 | 20 | 19 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
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
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- 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.
- 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 Patagonia Lake, closest first.
State Park
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Dark Sky Place
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Calabasas22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Kent Springs Cabin25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Kentucky Camp Cabin And Headquarters Building30 km (19 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Patagonia Lake?
What time is golden hour at Patagonia Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Patagonia Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Patagonia Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Patagonia Lake?
How far is Patagonia Lake from Rio Rico?
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.