Located in Marin County, California, Pelican Lake is a lake at about 56 m (184 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Bolinas, about 9.0 km (5.6 mi) away (Pelican Lake lies WNW of town).
Pelican Lake is a small lake in the southern portion of the Point Reyes National Seashore, northwest of Bolinas. The lake sits at an elevation of 203 feet (62 m) and has an outflow via the short Pelican Lake Creek southwest through a notch in the coastal cliffs onto Double Point's Bolsa Beach. Pelican Lake is one of the five Coast Trail Lakes, along with Bass Lake, Crystal Lake, Ocean Lake and Wildcat Lake. Alamere Falls is about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to the northwest.From the Wikipedia article “Pelican Lake (California)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pelican Lake 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 75° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:15 AM | 90° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 59° ENE | 8:38 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 120° ESE | 4:56 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 32m |
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 | 6:58 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 49m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 13m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 47m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 33m |
| August | 5:59 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 39m |
| September | 6:27 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:29 PM | 10h 08m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 33m |
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 Pelican Lake, 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 23° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:09 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:16 AM – 5:46 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:21 AM – 5:01 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:20 AM – 4:10 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:32 PM – 3:52 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:25 PM – 2:25 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:44 PM – 12:24 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:50 PM – 10:20 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:02 PM – 8:22 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: 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 ≈ 20.18 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (59%). September 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 | 67 | 69 | 76 | 80 | 87 | 88 | 78 | 85 | 94 | 84 | 78 | 65 |
| Low °F | 36 | 40 | 41 | 43 | 45 | 48 | 51 | 53 | 51 | 47 | 39 | 36 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 4.4 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Pelican Lake, closest first.
Waterfall
Natural ArchNatural ArchNatural Arch
Wilderness Area
State Park
WaterfallWaterfall
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Point Reyes National Seashore Campground10.4 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- Haypress Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Hawk Campground25 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Bicentennial Campground26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Kirby Cove Campground28 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pelican Lake?
What time is golden hour at Pelican Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pelican Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pelican Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pelican Lake?
How far is Pelican Lake from Bolinas?
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.