Lake Virginia is a lake in Fresno County, California at about 3,153 m (10,344 ft) above sea level. It is part of John Muir Wilderness. It sits roughly 15.5 km (9.6 mi) SSE of Mammoth Lakes.
Lake Virginia is a lake located in the Sierra Nevada (John Muir Wilderness) in Fresno County, California. It drains into Fish Creek, in the Cascade Valley. The John Muir Trail passes along its northern shore. It is not to be confused with Virginia Lakes, a cluster of lakes lying to the north.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Virginia (California)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Virginia 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) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:36 AM | 59° ENE | 8:21 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 45m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:08 AM | 120° ESE | 4:42 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 | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 52m |
| February | 6:19 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 50m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:58 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:18 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 11m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 44m |
| July | 5:17 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 30m |
| August | 5:45 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 37m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:31 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:08 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:15 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:14 PM | 10h 10m |
| December | 6:35 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:45 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:09 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 Virginia, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:54 AM – 5:14 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:01 AM – 5:31 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:04 AM – 4:44 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:03 AM – 3:53 AM | 3.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| June | 10:13 PM – 3:33 AM | 5.3 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:07 PM – 2:07 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:27 PM – 12:07 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:34 PM – 10:04 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:47 PM – 8:07 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.71 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 21% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (54%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 53 | 60 | 63 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 90 | 88 | 85 | 78 | 68 | 55 |
| Low °F | -14 | -12 | -14 | -3 | 12 | 20 | 35 | 31 | 20 | 9 | -7 | -16 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 3.9 |
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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Lake Virginia, closest first.
Lake
Lake
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Hot Spring
WaterfallLake
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Coldwater Campground - Inyo Nf (Ca)11.1 km (6.9 mi) · reservable
- Convict Lake Campground12.2 km (7.6 mi) · reservable
- Lake Mary Campground12.3 km (7.6 mi) · reservable
- Sherwin Creek13.0 km (8.1 mi) · reservable
- Twin Lakes Campground13.2 km (8.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Virginia?
What time is golden hour at Lake Virginia?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Virginia?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Virginia?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Virginia?
How far is Lake Virginia from Mammoth Lakes?
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.