Indian Tom Lake — a lake in Siskiyou County, California at about 1,246 m (4,088 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Altamont, about 27 km (17 mi) away (Indian Tom Lake lies SSW of town).
Indian Tom Lake is a 500-acre (2.0 km2), shallow, natural lake located in the western portion of Butte Valley, in eastern Siskiyou County. The lake is a remnant of a larger lake that occupied the entire valley when temperatures were cooler and is fed seasonally by several creeks in Butte Valley. The area around the lake was the home of the Modoc people prior to European contact. Indian Tom Lake is one of California's State Public Hunting Areas for duck and geese.From the Wikipedia article “Indian Tom Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Indian Tom Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:33 AM | 57° ENE | 8:47 PM | 303° WNW | 71° | 15h 14m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 122° ESE | 4:40 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 07m |
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 | 8:17 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 28m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 4:58 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 13m |
| July | 5:13 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 56m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 08m |
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 Indian Tom Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:48 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:40 AM – 4:40 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:39 AM – 3:49 AM | 3.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| June | 10:58 PM – 3:18 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:48 PM – 1:58 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:56 PM – 11:56 PM | 2.0 | 18° | S → SW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 9:54 PM | 1.0 | 15° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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 7.5+ 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 18% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (66%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 63 | 63 | 72 | 80 | 89 | 98 | 103 | 100 | 98 | 90 | 76 | 57 |
| Low °F | -11 | -2 | 9 | 10 | 22 | 29 | 39 | 39 | 29 | 19 | 0 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 2.4 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 5.0 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Indian Tom Lake, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
Lake
National Wildlife Refuge
Hot Spring
Mountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Topsy Campground 20.0 km (12.4 mi)
- Juanita Lake Campground28 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Juanita Lake Group Campsite28 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Indian Tom Lake?
What time is golden hour at Indian Tom Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Indian Tom Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Indian Tom Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Indian Tom Lake?
How far is Indian Tom Lake from Altamont?
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.