Kibbie Lake is a lake in Tuolumne County, California at about 1,986 m (6,516 ft) above sea level. It is part of Yosemite Wilderness. It sits roughly 34 km (21 mi) E of Twain Harte.
Kibbie Lake lies in the remote north-west portion of Yosemite National Park in the United States. It is accessible only to hikers and equestrians. It is the largest non-artificial lake in the national park. The lake was named after H.M. Kibbie, who owned land near the lake. The lake is surrounded by granodiorite, part of the Jack Main Canyon intrusive suite, emplaced approximately 91 million years ago.From the Wikipedia article “Kibbie Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Kibbie 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:04 AM | 90° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:38 AM | 59° ENE | 8:26 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 49m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 120° ESE | 4:44 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 31m |
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 | 6:46 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 49m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:20 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 14m |
| June | 5:06 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 48m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 33m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 39m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 08m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 32m |
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 Kibbie Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:57 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:04 AM – 5:34 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:09 AM – 4:49 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:08 AM – 3:58 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:20 PM – 3:40 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:13 PM – 2:13 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:32 PM – 12:12 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:38 PM – 10:08 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:50 PM – 8:10 PM | 0.3 | 13° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.59 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 20% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (60%). 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 | 66 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 94 | 98 | 93 | 92 | 83 | 71 | 62 |
| Low °F | -3 | -6 | 2 | 11 | 19 | 22 | 37 | 34 | 23 | 17 | 2 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.9 |
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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Kibbie Lake, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
Lake
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Cherry Valley9.8 km (6.1 mi) · reservable
- Hull Creek Campground17.8 km (11.0 mi)
- Pioneer Trail19.4 km (12.0 mi) · reservable
- Pinecrest Day Use Area20 km (12 mi) · reservable
- Pinecrest20 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Kibbie Lake?
What time is golden hour at Kibbie Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Kibbie Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Kibbie Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Kibbie Lake?
How far is Kibbie Lake from Twain Harte?
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.