Located in Tulare County, California, Tulainyo Lake is a lake at about 3,910 m (12,828 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Lone Pine, about 19.3 km (12.0 mi) away (Tulainyo Lake lies W of town).
Tulainyo Lake is a freshwater alpine lake in the eastern Sierra Nevada in the U.S. state of California, and one of the highest and largest of the alpine lakes of the Sierra. It lies in a large granite bowl bounded by the Sierra Crest to the north, east, and south, at an altitude of 12,829 ft (3,910 m). It lies within Sequoia National Park and the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness, in close proximity to Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States. Tulainyo Lake's depth was not measured until 2026, when the lake was determined to be 385 ft (117 m) deep. The lake's altitude and location at the very crest of the range mean that it is frozen over during the winter, such that it has even been ice skated, and ice and snow often linger around the lake's shoreline well into the summer.From the Wikipedia article “Tulainyo Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tulainyo 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) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:36 AM | 60° ENE | 8:16 PM | 301° WNW | 77° | 14h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:02 AM | 119° ESE | 4:42 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 39m |
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 | 6:37 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 56m |
| February | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:18 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 52m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 08m |
| May | 5:18 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:23 PM | 14h 07m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 39m |
| July | 5:17 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 25m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 34m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:28 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:35 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 17m |
| November | 6:04 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:10 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:13 PM | 10h 14m |
| December | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 40m |
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 Tulainyo 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 25° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:41 AM – 5:11 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:57 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.7 | 21° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:48 AM – 4:38 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 11:55 PM – 3:55 AM | 4.0 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:04 PM – 3:34 AM | 5.5 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:59 PM – 2:19 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:20 PM – 12:10 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:29 PM – 10:09 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:44 PM – 8:14 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.81 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 20% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (53%). 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 | 70 | 72 | 76 | 80 | 90 | 99 | 101 | 99 | 96 | 88 | 81 | 70 |
| Low °F | 3 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 24 | 28 | 44 | 39 | 29 | 22 | 9 | 7 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 3.5 |
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 Tulainyo Lake, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Whitney Portal4.6 km (2.8 mi) · reservable
- Lone Pine8.5 km (5.3 mi) · reservable
- Tuttle Creek Campground14.1 km (8.8 mi) · reservable
- Grays Meadows19.1 km (11.9 mi) · reservable
- Onion Valley21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tulainyo Lake?
What time is golden hour at Tulainyo Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tulainyo Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tulainyo Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tulainyo Lake?
How far is Tulainyo Lake from Lone Pine?
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.