Lake Elizabeth is a lake in Alameda County, California. It sits roughly 2.3 km (1.4 mi) E of Fremont.
Lake Elizabeth, located in Central Park of Fremont, California, is a man-made 83-acre (34 ha) lake with a 2-mile (3.2 km) walkway around the lake. When at average capacity, water rises to a depth of about 7 feet (2.1 m).From the Wikipedia article “Lake Elizabeth (Fremont, California)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Elizabeth 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 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:48 AM | 59° ENE | 8:33 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 46m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 120° ESE | 4:54 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 34m |
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 | 6:54 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 51m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 50m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:06 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:30 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 11m |
| June | 5:16 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 45m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 30m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 37m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:20 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:26 PM | 10h 10m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 35m |
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 Elizabeth, 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 24° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 8 (city sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:06 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:13 AM – 5:43 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:16 AM – 4:56 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:15 AM – 4:05 AM | 3.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| June | 10:25 PM – 3:45 AM | 5.3 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:19 PM – 2:19 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:39 PM – 12:19 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 10:16 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:59 PM – 8:19 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: 8 Bortle 8 — City sky. Only bright constellations are visible; the sky glows orange or white. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.36 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 12% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (54%). 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 | 74 | 77 | 85 | 95 | 108 | 110 | 116 | 113 | 114 | 103 | 89 | 71 |
| Low °F | 22 | 27 | 29 | 32 | 39 | 43 | 49 | 50 | 46 | 38 | 27 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 3.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Elizabeth, closest first.
Canyon
Mountain Pass
Ghost Town
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
National Wildlife RefugeCanyon
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Elizabeth?
What time is golden hour at Lake Elizabeth?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Elizabeth?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Elizabeth?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Elizabeth?
How far is Lake Elizabeth from Fremont?
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.