Navajo Lake is a lake in Archuleta County, Colorado. It sits roughly 30 km (18 mi) SE of Bayfield.
Navajo Lake is a reservoir located in San Juan County and Rio Arriba County in northwestern New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. Portions of the reservoir extend into Archuleta County in southern Colorado. The lake is part of the Colorado River Storage Project, which here manages the upper reaches of the San Juan River, storing and releasing water that is used locally for irrigation, or ultimately reaching the Colorado River in Utah. Water is impounded in Navajo Lake by the earth- and rock-filled Navajo Dam, 3,800 feet (1,200 m) long and 400 feet (120 m) high, completed in 1962. The 15,600-acre (63 km2) lake is over 25 miles (40 km) long and lies at an elevation of up to 6,085 feet (1,855 m). The construction of the dam and the resulting lake flooded and destroyed one of the Navajos' most sacred sites.From the Wikipedia article “Navajo Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Navajo 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 76° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:51 AM | 60° ENE | 8:33 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 119° ESE | 4:57 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 37m |
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 | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:02 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 54m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 09m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 09m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 41m |
| July | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 28m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 36m |
| September | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:34 PM | 7:00 PM | 11h 16m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:29 PM | 10h 12m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 38m |
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 Navajo Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 24° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:08 AM – 5:28 AM | 0.3 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:14 AM – 5:44 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:07 AM – 4:57 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 12:15 AM – 4:15 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:24 PM – 3:54 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:18 PM – 2:28 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:39 PM – 12:29 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 10:27 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:01 PM – 8:31 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.89 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (55%). 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 | 48 | 52 | 61 | 69 | 81 | 85 | 87 | 83 | 82 | 71 | 62 | 50 |
| Low °F | -31 | -20 | -13 | -3 | 11 | 23 | 33 | 32 | 13 | 2 | -20 | -28 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.2 |
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 Navajo Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Navajo Lake?
What time is golden hour at Navajo Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Navajo Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Navajo Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Navajo Lake?
How far is Navajo Lake from Bayfield?
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.