Clear Lake — a lake in Lake County, California at about 405 m (1,329 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 4.1 km (2.5 mi) SW of Lucerne.
Clear Lake is a natural freshwater lake in Lake County in the U.S. state of California, north of Napa County and San Francisco. It is the largest natural freshwater lake wholly within the state, with 68 square miles (180 km2) of surface area. (Lake Tahoe is partially in Nevada.) It has an age of nearly 500,000 years. It is the latest lake to occupy a site with a history of lakes stretching back at least 2,500,000 years. Clear Lake supports large populations of largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, carp and catfish. Two-thirds of the fish caught in Clear Lake are largemouth bass, with a record of 17.52 pounds (7.95 kg). In addition to fish, there is abundant wildlife within the Clear Lake basin. There are year-round populations of ducks, pelicans, grebes, blue herons, egrets, osprey, and bald eagles, and the basin supports sizable populations of deer, bear, mountain lion, raccoon and...From the Wikipedia article “Clear Lake (California)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Clear Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:16 AM | 90° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:46 AM | 59° ENE | 8:41 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 120° ESE | 4:53 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 25m |
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 | 7:00 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 44m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:08 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:29 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:14 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 54m |
| July | 5:27 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 39m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:27 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:34 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:19 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 26m |
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 Clear Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:18 AM – 5:28 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:27 AM – 5:47 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:23 AM – 4:53 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:25 AM – 4:05 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:38 PM – 3:38 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:31 PM – 2:21 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:47 PM – 12:17 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 10:12 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:02 PM – 8:12 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.68 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 10% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (58%). 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 | 72 | 72 | 79 | 90 | 103 | 111 | 116 | 113 | 110 | 102 | 88 | 72 |
| Low °F | 24 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 35 | 40 | 52 | 51 | 42 | 35 | 24 | 21 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.8 | 5.3 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 6.6 |
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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Clear Lake, closest first.
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain Peak
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Clear Lake?
What time is golden hour at Clear Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Clear Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Clear Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Clear Lake?
How far is Clear Lake from Lucerne?
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.