Lake Gregory is a lake in San Bernardino County, California at about 1,388 m (4,554 ft) above sea level. It is part of San Bernardino National Forest. It sits roughly 1.7 km (1.1 mi) ENE of Crestline.
Lake Gregory is a reservoir in the San Bernardino National Forest of the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino County, California. The lake and the surrounding area make up the Lake Gregory Regional Park adjacent to Crestline, California. The area, originally known as Houston Flat, was developed by and named for its developer, Redlands citrus grower Arthur Gregory, Sr. Gregory bought and developed land in an area known today as Valley of the Moon. He erected a sawmill at Valley of the Moon to cut wood for crating his "Orange Blossom" brand of citrus fruit. Gregory was also instrumental in creating the Crest Forest County Water District (CFCWD), which, in turn, was necessary to acquire federal aid in order to develop the area. Although the lake is in Crestline proper, Crestline is not a part of the Crest Forest District, but rather the Crestline Water District, which...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Gregory (California)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Gregory the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:54 AM | 90° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:38 AM | 61° ENE | 8:05 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:38 AM | 89° E | 6:47 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:52 AM | 118° ESE | 4:44 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 52m |
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 | 6:28 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:30 PM | 10h 07m |
| February | 6:09 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:10 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:33 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 58m |
| March | 6:35 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:24 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:52 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:47 PM | 13h 02m |
| May | 5:20 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 57m |
| June | 5:08 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 26m |
| July | 5:20 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 13m |
| August | 5:45 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 27m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:24 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:30 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 5:56 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:13 PM | 10h 23m |
| December | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 53m |
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 Gregory, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 6 (bright suburban 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:27 AM – 5:07 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:41 AM – 5:31 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:39 AM – 4:39 AM | 3.0 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 11:42 PM – 4:02 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:48 PM – 3:48 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:44 PM – 2:24 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:09 PM – 12:19 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:22 PM – 10:22 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:39 PM – 8:19 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.08 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 14% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (44%). 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 | 77 | 82 | 87 | 93 | 103 | 110 | 111 | 109 | 109 | 98 | 86 | 78 |
| Low °F | 22 | 22 | 24 | 27 | 35 | 40 | 51 | 48 | 40 | 33 | 24 | 20 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.8 |
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 Gregory, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
Hot Spring
Canyon
CanyonCanyon
Hot Spring
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Hot SpringCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Dogwood 5.1 km (3.2 mi) · reservable
- North Shore (Ca)9.5 km (5.9 mi) · reservable
- Fishermans Group14.4 km (9.0 mi) · reservable
- Tent Peg Group15.5 km (9.6 mi) · reservable
- Crab Flats16.8 km (10.4 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Gregory?
What time is golden hour at Lake Gregory?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Gregory?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Gregory?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Gregory?
How far is Lake Gregory from Crestline?
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.