Pine Flat Lake — a lake in Fresno County, California — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Sierra National Forest. It sits roughly 12.4 km (7.7 mi) NW of Yokuts Valley.
Pine Flat Lake is an artificial lake or reservoir in the Sierra Nevada foothills of eastern Fresno County, California on the western north–south border to the Sierra- and Sequoia National Forests, about 30 mi (48 km) east of Fresno. The lake is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and is open to boaters, campers & hikers. The lake was formed by the construction of Pine Flat Dam on the Kings River in 1954 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and has a storage capacity of 1,000,000 acre⋅ft (1.2 km3). Although it was primarily designed for flood control, the project also provides for irrigation and groundwater recharge, recreation, and with the completion in 1984 of the Jeff L. Taylor Pine Flat Power Plant, generation of 165 Megawatts hydroelectric power.From the Wikipedia article “Pine Flat Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pine Flat Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:02 AM | 90° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:39 AM | 60° ENE | 8:20 PM | 301° WNW | 77° | 14h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:07 AM | 119° ESE | 4:45 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 38m |
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 | 6:42 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 55m |
| February | 6:20 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:24 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 08m |
| May | 5:22 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 08m |
| June | 5:08 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 40m |
| July | 5:21 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 27m |
| August | 5:48 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 35m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 17m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:14 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 13m |
| December | 6:35 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 39m |
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 Pine Flat Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:45 AM – 5:15 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:01 AM – 5:41 AM | 1.7 | 21° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:53 AM – 4:43 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 12:00 AM – 4:00 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:10 PM – 3:40 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:04 PM – 2:14 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:25 PM – 12:15 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:34 PM – 10:14 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:48 PM – 8:18 PM | 0.5 | 14° | 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.05 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 13% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (61%). 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 | 81 | 82 | 91 | 98 | 109 | 114 | 116 | 114 | 114 | 102 | 92 | 80 |
| Low °F | 25 | 27 | 31 | 34 | 40 | 46 | 58 | 58 | 50 | 40 | 28 | 25 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 3.1 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Pine Flat Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Pine Flat Campground1.2 km (0.7 mi)
- Island Park3.7 km (2.3 mi) · reservable
- Trimmer Campground8.5 km (5.3 mi) · reservable
- Kirch Flat Campground16.5 km (10.3 mi)
- Kirch Flat Group Campground16.6 km (10.3 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pine Flat Lake?
What time is golden hour at Pine Flat Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pine Flat Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pine Flat Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pine Flat Lake?
How far is Pine Flat Lake from Yokuts Valley?
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.