Lake Earl — a lake in Del Norte County, California — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 5.7 km (3.5 mi) SW of Fort Dick.
Lake Earl is a lagoon on the extreme northern California coast, just south of the Oregon border. A navigable body of water, it lies partly within Tolowa Dunes State Park and partly within Lake Earl Wildlife Area in Del Norte County, California and the third-most important seabird area on the West Coast after the Farallons and the Channel Islands.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Earl”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Earl 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 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:21 AM | 90° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:43 AM | 57° ENE | 8:56 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 13m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:42 AM | 122° ESE | 4:50 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 08m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:45 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:08 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:26 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 33m |
| June | 5:08 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 12m |
| July | 5:22 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:37 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:56 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:02 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 09m |
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 Earl, 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:47 AM – 5:47 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:48 AM – 4:48 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:46 AM – 3:56 AM | 3.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| June | 11:05 PM – 3:25 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 2:05 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 12:04 AM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 10:03 PM | 1.0 | 16° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.56 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 September as the clearest month (about 60% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (78%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 64 | 63 | 64 | 66 | 70 | 73 | 77 | 73 | 80 | 73 | 63 | 62 |
| Low °F | 38 | 39 | 37 | 41 | 44 | 48 | 50 | 52 | 49 | 44 | 42 | 37 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.4 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 4.2 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 7.2 | 11.6 |
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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Earl, closest first.
State Park
Natural Arch
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
Lighthouse
Beach
Covered Bridge
Lighthouse
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Jedediah Smith Campground - Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park9.1 km (5.7 mi)
- Mill Creek Campground - Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park15.6 km (9.7 mi)
- Panther Flat Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Ludlum House24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Grassy Flat Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Earl?
What time is golden hour at Lake Earl?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Earl?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Earl?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Earl?
How far is Lake Earl from Fort Dick?
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.