Soda Lake (San Luis Obispo County) — a lake in San Luis Obispo County, California at about 580 m (1,903 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Carrizo Plain. The nearest town is Taft Heights, about 39 km (24 mi) away (Soda Lake (San Luis Obispo County) lies WNW of town).
Soda Lake is a shallow, ephemeral, alkaline endorheic lake in the Carrizo Plain in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California. The lake is located on the southwest side of the northern Carrizo Plain, 103 km (64 mi) east of San Luis Obispo. It can be reached by Soda Lake Road, which runs northwest–southeast between State Route 166 and State Route 58. The lake is at an elevation of 580 m (1,900 ft) and covers an area of about 12 km2 (4.6 sq mi).From the Wikipedia article “Soda Lake (San Luis Obispo County)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Soda Lake (San Luis Obispo County) 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 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:04 AM | 90° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:46 AM | 60° ENE | 8:18 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:05 AM | 119° ESE | 4:52 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 47m |
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 | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:39 PM | 10h 03m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 5:28 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 01m |
| June | 5:16 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 31m |
| July | 5:28 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 18m |
| August | 5:53 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 30m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:41 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:08 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:12 AM | 4:18 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 19m |
| December | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 48m |
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 Soda Lake (San Luis Obispo County), the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° 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 | 4:48 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:52 AM – 5:42 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:52 AM – 4:52 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:57 PM – 4:07 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:04 PM – 3:54 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:00 PM – 2:30 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:23 PM – 12:23 AM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:34 PM – 10:24 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:51 PM – 8:31 PM | 0.7 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.44 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 12% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (56%). 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 | 83 | 87 | 97 | 102 | 111 | 113 | 117 | 117 | 116 | 105 | 95 | 84 |
| Low °F | 26 | 27 | 32 | 34 | 42 | 47 | 57 | 56 | 50 | 40 | 32 | 27 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 2.3 |
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.
- 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.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Soda Lake (San Luis Obispo County)?
What time is golden hour at Soda Lake (San Luis Obispo County)?
Where does the sun rise and set at Soda Lake (San Luis Obispo County)?
Can you see the Milky Way from Soda Lake (San Luis Obispo County)?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Soda Lake (San Luis Obispo County)?
How far is Soda Lake (San Luis Obispo County) from Taft Heights?
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.