Lake Havasu — a lake in San Bernardino County, California — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Lake Havasu City, about 5.6 km (3.5 mi) away (Lake Havasu lies W of town).
Lake Havasu ( HAH-və-soo) is a large reservoir formed by Parker Dam on the Colorado River, on the border between San Bernardino County, California, and Mohave County, Arizona. Lake Havasu City sits on the Arizonan side of the lake with its Californian counterpart of Havasu Lake directly across the lake. The reservoir has an available capacity of 619,400 acre-feet (0.7640 km3). The concrete arch dam was built by the United States Bureau of Reclamation between 1934 and 1938. The lake's primary purpose is to store water for pumping into two aqueducts. Prior to the dam construction, the area was home to the Mojave people. The lake was named (in 1939) after the Mojave word for blue. In the early 19th century, it was frequented by beaver trappers. Spaniards also began to mine the areas along the river.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Havasu”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Havasu 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) | 6:42 AM | 90° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:26 AM | 61° ENE | 7:54 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:26 AM | 89° E | 6:36 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:41 AM | 118° ESE | 4:32 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 51m |
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 | 6:17 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:18 PM | 10h 06m |
| February | 5:58 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:59 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 58m |
| March | 6:24 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:11 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:41 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:35 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 58m |
| June | 4:56 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:22 PM | 14h 27m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:20 PM | 14h 15m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:53 PM | 13h 27m |
| September | 5:56 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:11 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:18 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:30 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 5:45 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:48 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:01 PM | 10h 22m |
| December | 6:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:16 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:29 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 52m |
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 Havasu, 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 5 (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 | 4:16 AM – 4:56 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:30 AM – 5:20 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:28 AM – 4:28 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:32 PM – 3:52 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:39 PM – 3:39 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:34 PM – 2:14 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:59 PM – 12:09 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:11 PM – 10:01 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:28 PM – 8:08 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.81 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 16% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (41%). 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 | 87 | 88 | 97 | 103 | 111 | 120 | 121 | 118 | 116 | 106 | 94 | 82 |
| Low °F | 24 | 23 | 32 | 37 | 47 | 55 | 67 | 65 | 53 | 37 | 28 | 26 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
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
- 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.
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- 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 Havasu, closest first.
Lighthouse
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How far is Lake Havasu from Lake Havasu City?
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.