Salton Sea is a lake in Imperial County, California. It sits roughly 11.7 km (7.3 mi) ENE of Salton City.
The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly saline endorheic lake in Riverside and Imperial counties in Southern California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the Salton Trough, which stretches to the Gulf of California in Mexico. The lake is about 15 by 35 miles (24 by 56 km) at its widest and longest. A 2023 report put the surface area at 318 square miles (823.6 km2). The Salton Sea became a resort destination in the 20th century, but saw die-offs of fish and birds in the 1980s due to contamination from farm runoff, and clouds of toxic dust in the 21st century as evaporation exposed parts of the lake bed.From the Wikipedia article “Salton Sea”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Salton Sea 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 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:48 AM | 90° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:35 AM | 61° ENE | 7:57 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:32 AM | 89° E | 6:42 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:44 AM | 118° ESE | 4:40 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 56m |
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 | 6:21 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:22 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:26 PM | 10h 11m |
| February | 6:03 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:02 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:54 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 6:30 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:40 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 53m |
| June | 5:05 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:24 PM | 14h 21m |
| July | 5:17 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:23 PM | 14h 09m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 24m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:00 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:16 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:23 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 5:49 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:51 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:09 PM | 10h 27m |
| December | 6:13 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:19 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 58m |
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 Salton Sea, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:12 AM – 5:02 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:24 AM – 5:24 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:21 AM – 4:41 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:22 PM – 4:02 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:37 PM – 3:47 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:33 PM – 2:23 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:00 PM – 12:20 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:14 PM – 10:14 PM | 2.0 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:33 PM – 8:23 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.33 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 15% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (39%). 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 | 86 | 87 | 95 | 101 | 110 | 118 | 120 | 115 | 116 | 104 | 92 | 81 |
| Low °F | 27 | 27 | 34 | 38 | 46 | 51 | 62 | 60 | 52 | 42 | 32 | 29 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- 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 Salton Sea, closest first.
State Park
National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Salton Sea?
What time is golden hour at Salton Sea?
Where does the sun rise and set at Salton Sea?
Can you see the Milky Way from Salton Sea?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Salton Sea?
How far is Salton Sea from Salton 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.