Located in El Dorado County, California, Wrights Lake is a lake at about 2,122 m (6,962 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is South Lake Tahoe, about 24 km (15 mi) away (Wrights Lake lies WSW of town).
Wrights Lake is in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, west of Lake Tahoe on the western border of the Desolation Wilderness. It can be reached via Wrights Road off U.S. Route 50 and the Ice House Road. It provides hiking access to the western portions of the Desolation Wilderness via the Twin Lakes trailhead. Wrights Road is not plowed and is inaccessible during the winter. Wrights Lake is the starting point for the Barrett Lake Jeep Trail.From the Wikipedia article “Wrights Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Wrights Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:37 AM | 59° ENE | 8:30 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 120° ESE | 4:43 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 26m |
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 | 6:49 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:19 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 18m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 52m |
| July | 5:18 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 38m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:44 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:17 PM | 10h 04m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 28m |
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 Wrights Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:08 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:17 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:13 AM – 4:43 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:14 AM – 3:54 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:26 PM – 3:36 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:19 PM – 2:09 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:36 PM – 12:06 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 10:01 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:52 PM – 8:12 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.41 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 14% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 70 | 75 | 84 | 97 | 104 | 107 | 103 | 107 | 97 | 83 | 70 |
| Low °F | 17 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 32 | 38 | 46 | 46 | 38 | 32 | 12 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 6.0 |
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
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- 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.
- 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 Wrights Lake, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Lake
Lake
Lake
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
Waterfall
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Wrights Lake202 m · reservable
- Wrights Lake Equestrian Campground914 m · reservable
- Strawberry Point Campground9.5 km (5.9 mi)
- Lovers Leap Campground9.8 km (6.1 mi)
- Northwind Campground10.2 km (6.3 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Wrights Lake?
What time is golden hour at Wrights Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Wrights Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Wrights Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Wrights Lake?
How far is Wrights Lake from South Lake Tahoe?
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.