Chalk Lake — a lake in Chaffee County, Colorado at about 2,655 m (8,711 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Buena Vista, about 17.1 km (10.6 mi) away (Chalk Lake lies SSW of town).
Chalk Lake is a small lake in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States, adjacent to Chalk Creek in San Isabel National Forest. The lake and surrounding area is a day-use area along road 162 across Chalk Creek from the Chalk Creek Campground, and a fee is charged for use of the lake. Chalk Lake is directly north of Mount Antero and directly south of Mount Princeton. The Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad grade is above the south side of the lake below Mount Antero.From the Wikipedia article “Chalk Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Chalk 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) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:41 AM | 59° ENE | 8:34 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 120° ESE | 4:47 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 27m |
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 | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 46m |
| February | 6:30 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 5:09 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 52m |
| July | 5:22 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 5:51 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 41m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:21 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 29m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Chalk 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:12 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:21 AM – 5:41 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:17 AM – 4:47 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:18 AM – 3:58 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:30 PM – 3:40 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:23 PM – 2:13 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:40 PM – 12:10 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:45 PM – 10:05 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:56 PM – 8:16 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: 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 ≈ 21.76 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 June as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (61%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 44 | 48 | 63 | 68 | 82 | 86 | 87 | 83 | 82 | 72 | 60 | 49 |
| Low °F | -28 | -25 | -13 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 35 | 34 | 19 | -3 | -21 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Chalk Lake, closest first.
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Ghost Town
Hot SpringHot Spring
Mountain Peak
Ghost Town
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Chalk Lake196 m · reservable
- Cascade (Colorado)874 m · reservable
- Mount Princeton1.0 km (0.6 mi) · reservable
- Bootleg3.3 km (2.1 mi) · reservable
- Iron City8.8 km (5.5 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Chalk Lake?
What time is golden hour at Chalk Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Chalk Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Chalk Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Chalk Lake?
How far is Chalk Lake from Buena Vista?
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.