Located in Coconino County, Arizona, Willow Springs Lake is a lake at about 2,291 m (7,516 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 30 km (19 mi) WSW of Heber-Overgaard.
Willow Springs Lake is a cold water lake located on top of the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona, about 23 mi (37 km) east of the city of Payson in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, immediately adjacent to SR 260. It is a canyon-bound lake located on the Mogollon Rim, and is part of the collectivity known as the Rim Lakes. It can be found upstream from Chevelon Canyon Lake. The facilities are maintained by Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests division of the USDA Forest Service.From the Wikipedia article “Willow Springs Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Willow Springs Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:28 AM | 90° E | 6:35 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 61° ENE | 7:39 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:12 AM | 89° E | 6:22 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:27 AM | 118° ESE | 5:18 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 52m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 07m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:33 PM | 10h 58m |
| March | 6:10 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:08 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:27 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:26 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:21 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 4:55 AM | 5:22 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:47 PM | 13h 57m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:07 PM | 14h 26m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:06 PM | 14h 14m |
| August | 5:19 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:39 PM | 13h 27m |
| September | 5:42 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:41 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:57 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:04 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:03 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:16 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 6:31 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 23m |
| December | 6:55 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 53m |
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 Willow Springs Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° 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 | 5:01 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:15 AM – 5:05 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:13 AM – 4:13 AM | 3.0 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 11:16 PM – 3:36 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:22 PM – 3:22 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:18 PM – 1:58 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:43 PM – 11:53 PM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 7:56 PM – 9:56 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:13 PM – 7:53 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.69 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 22% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (55%). July 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 | 67 | 70 | 80 | 87 | 97 | 102 | 102 | 99 | 97 | 87 | 78 | 69 |
| Low °F | -8 | 0 | 11 | 17 | 27 | 38 | 51 | 50 | 36 | 17 | 13 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.8 |
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 Willow Springs Lake, closest first.
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
LakeScenic Viewpoint
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Sinkhole Campground1.3 km (0.8 mi) · reservable
- Fr 171 Campground1.3 km (0.8 mi)
- Rim Campground3.5 km (2.2 mi) · reservable
- Canyon Point4.6 km (2.9 mi) · reservable
- Crook Campground6.6 km (4.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Willow Springs Lake?
What time is golden hour at Willow Springs Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Willow Springs Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Willow Springs Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Willow Springs Lake?
How far is Willow Springs Lake from Heber-Overgaard?
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.