Located in El Dorado County, California, Lake Aloha is a lake. The nearest town is South Lake Tahoe, about 16.0 km (9.9 mi) away (Lake Aloha lies WSW of town).
Lake Aloha is a large shallow backcountry reservoir located at an elevation of 8,116 ft (2,474 m) in the Sierra Nevada Range, west of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado County, in eastern California. The reservoir is located in Desolation Valley, within the federally protected Desolation Wilderness area. The shortest and easiest approach is from Echo Lake by the Pacific Crest Trail. Alternately, it can be reached by the Glen Alpine Springs Trailhead, near the city of South Lake Tahoe. There is a moderate gain in elevation as you head west. From the south, Lake Aloha can be reached by the Ralston Peak Trail or cross country through Horsetail Falls and Desolation Valley. To reach the base of Price and Pyramid Peaks, in the Crystal Range of the Sierra Nevada, you have to traverse the Lake Aloha area. The primary outflow from Lake Aloha is Pyramid Creek, which flows south for roughly four miles...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Aloha”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Aloha 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 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:36 AM | 59° ENE | 8:30 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 120° ESE | 4:43 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 26m |
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 | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:19 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 18m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 53m |
| July | 5:17 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 38m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:44 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 04m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 28m |
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 Lake Aloha, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:08 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:17 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:13 AM – 4:43 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:14 AM – 3:54 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:26 PM – 3:36 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:19 PM – 2:09 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:36 PM – 12:06 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 10:01 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:52 PM – 8:12 PM | 0.3 | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.34 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 December as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 70 | 75 | 84 | 97 | 104 | 107 | 103 | 107 | 97 | 83 | 70 |
| Low °F | 17 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 32 | 38 | 46 | 46 | 38 | 32 | 12 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 6.0 |
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
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Lake Aloha, closest first.
Lake
Lake
Mountain Peak
Lake
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Wrights Lake7.4 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
- Lovers Leap Campground7.6 km (4.7 mi)
- Wrights Lake Equestrian Campground8.0 km (5.0 mi) · reservable
- Fallen Leaf Campground11.0 km (6.8 mi) · reservable
- Badgers Den At Camp Richardson Resort12.0 km (7.4 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Aloha?
What time is golden hour at Lake Aloha?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Aloha?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Aloha?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Aloha?
How far is Lake Aloha from South Lake Tahoe?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.