Castle Lake — a lake in Siskiyou County, California at about 1,658 m (5,440 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Dunsmuir, about 9.6 km (6.0 mi) away (Castle Lake lies WNW of town).
Castle Lake is a glacial lake (cirque lake or tarn) located in the Trinity Mountains, in Siskiyou County of northern California. It is west of Mount Shasta City and Mount Shasta peak. The outlet of the lake drains into Castle Lake Creek, and then into Lake Siskiyou reservoir, part of the headwaters of the Sacramento River. Nearly all of the lake's 47 acres (19 ha) are within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Trails lead from Castle Lake into the adjacent Castle Crags Wilderness area, and on to Castle Crags State Park, including trails to Little Castle Lake and Heart Lake. Fishing, camping, and hiking are also available at or near the lake.From the Wikipedia article “Castle Lake (California)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Castle Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:38 AM | 57° ENE | 8:47 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 09m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 121° ESE | 4:44 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 12m |
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 | 7:34 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 32m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:21 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 30m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 08m |
| July | 5:18 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:31 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 52m |
| August | 5:50 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 50m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 53m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:13 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 13m |
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 Castle Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:27 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:39 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:39 AM – 4:49 AM | 2.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:36 AM – 3:56 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:54 PM – 3:24 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:44 PM – 2:04 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 11:55 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:55 PM – 9:55 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:02 PM – 8:02 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.8 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 17% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (65%). 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 | 61 | 63 | 68 | 75 | 87 | 98 | 105 | 104 | 100 | 90 | 78 | 58 |
| Low °F | -7 | 2 | 13 | 20 | 24 | 29 | 40 | 38 | 30 | 21 | 7 | -2 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 6.5 |
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.
- 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 Castle Lake, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
Rock Formation
Waterfall
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Botanical Garden
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Castle Lake Campground1.0 km (0.6 mi)
- Girard Ridge Lookout14.1 km (8.8 mi) · reservable
- Red Fir Flat Group Campground17.0 km (10.5 mi) · reservable
- Eagle Creek (Ca)25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Trinity River (Ca)30 km (19 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Castle Lake?
What time is golden hour at Castle Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Castle Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Castle Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Castle Lake?
How far is Castle Lake from Dunsmuir?
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.