Castac Lake is a lake in Kern County, California at about 1,062 m (3,484 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 2.1 km (1.3 mi) ESE of Lebec.
Castac Lake (Chumash: Kaštiq), also known as Tejon Lake, is a natural saline endorheic, or sink, lake near Lebec, California. The lake is located in the Tehachapi Mountains just south of the Grapevine section of Interstate 5, and within Tejon Ranch. Normal water elevations are 3,482 feet (1,061 m) above sea level.From the Wikipedia article “Castac Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Castac Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (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) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:43 AM | 60° ENE | 8:13 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:00 AM | 118° ESE | 4:49 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 49m |
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 | 6:36 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:35 PM | 10h 04m |
| February | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:17 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:58 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 59m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 29m |
| July | 5:25 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 16m |
| August | 5:50 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:36 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:04 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:07 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:18 PM | 10h 21m |
| December | 6:28 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 50m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Castac Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:33 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:47 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:46 AM – 4:46 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:50 PM – 4:10 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:57 PM – 3:47 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:52 PM – 2:22 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:17 PM – 12:27 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:29 PM – 10:19 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:45 PM – 8:25 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.74 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 14% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (42%). 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 | 80 | 84 | 87 | 93 | 99 | 109 | 110 | 107 | 112 | 101 | 89 | 80 |
| Low °F | 24 | 25 | 26 | 30 | 36 | 42 | 50 | 51 | 43 | 35 | 27 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Castac Lake, closest first.
Mountain Pass
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain Peak
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Chuchupate Campground15.5 km (9.6 mi) · reservable
- Pyramid Lake - Los Alamos Campground22 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Pyramid Lake - Emigrant Landing Day Use Area22 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Mcgill Campground And Group Campground23 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Mt. Pinos Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Castac Lake?
What time is golden hour at Castac Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Castac Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Castac Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Castac Lake?
How far is Castac Lake from Lebec?
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.