Shasta Lake is a lake in Shasta County, California. It is part of Shasta–Trinity National Forest. It sits roughly 8.9 km (5.5 mi) N of Shasta Lake.
Shasta Lake, also popularly known as Lake Shasta, is a reservoir in Shasta County, California, United States. It began to store water in 1944 due to the impounding of the Sacramento River by Shasta Dam, the ninth-tallest dam in the U.S. Shasta Lake is a key facility of the Central Valley Project and provides flood control for the Sacramento Valley, downstream of the dam. Water outflow generates power through the Shasta Powerplant and is subsequently used for irrigation and municipal purposes. The reservoir lies within the Whiskeytown–Shasta–Trinity National Recreation Area, operated by the Shasta–Trinity National Forest.From the Wikipedia article “Shasta Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Shasta Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:39 AM | 58° ENE | 8:45 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 121° ESE | 4:46 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 15m |
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 | 7:02 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:14 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 35m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 40m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:03 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:22 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 27m |
| June | 5:05 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:20 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 05m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:32 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 49m |
| August | 5:51 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 49m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 16m |
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 Shasta Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:26 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:37 AM – 5:47 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:37 AM – 4:47 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:33 AM – 3:53 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:49 PM – 3:29 AM | 4.7 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:40 PM – 2:00 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:52 PM – 12:02 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 10:03 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:01 PM – 8:01 PM | 0.0 | 11° | 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 ≈ 21.18 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 14% average cloud cover) and December 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 | 72 | 72 | 83 | 89 | 101 | 112 | 118 | 114 | 111 | 102 | 86 | 69 |
| Low °F | 14 | 21 | 24 | 29 | 35 | 40 | 52 | 50 | 40 | 33 | 23 | 18 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.0 | 6.6 | 5.6 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 4.4 | 8.3 |
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.
- 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 Shasta Lake, closest first.
Cave
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Shasta Campground7.6 km (4.7 mi)
- Bailey Cove8.9 km (5.5 mi) · reservable
- Salt Creek Dispersed Area (Ca)9.4 km (5.8 mi) · reservable
- Mariners Point Group Campground10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- Nelson Point10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Shasta Lake?
What time is golden hour at Shasta Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Shasta Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Shasta Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Shasta Lake?
How far is Shasta Lake from Shasta Lake?
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.