O'Haver Lake is a lake in Chaffee County, Colorado at about 2,783 m (9,131 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Salida, about 17.5 km (10.9 mi) away (O'Haver Lake lies SW of town).
O'Haver Lake is a reservoir in Chaffee County, Colorado in the San Isabel National Forest. It is located about two miles from U.S. Highway 50 west of Poncha Pass. The lake and adjacent campground are just off Forest Road 200, also known as Marshall Pass Road. The pass is about twelve miles up the road from the lake.From the Wikipedia article “O'Haver Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At O'Haver 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 301° (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) | 5:42 AM | 59° ENE | 8:33 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 51m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:19 AM | 120° ESE | 4:48 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 29m |
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 | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 47m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 47m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 15m |
| June | 5:09 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 50m |
| July | 5:23 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 35m |
| August | 5:52 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 40m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:47 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:21 PM | 10h 06m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 30m |
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 O'Haver 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 23° 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 | 5:02 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:21 AM – 5:41 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:16 AM – 4:46 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:17 AM – 3:57 AM | 3.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:29 PM – 3:39 AM | 5.2 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:22 PM – 2:12 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:39 PM – 12:09 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:45 PM – 10:15 PM | 1.5 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:56 PM – 8:16 PM | 0.3 | 13° | 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 ≈ 21.78 mag/arcsec².
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 O'Haver Lake, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Hot Spring
Mountain Pass
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Ohaver Lake265 m · reservable
- Brewery Creek Guard Station15.6 km (9.7 mi) · reservable
- Monarch Park18.4 km (11.4 mi) · reservable
- Angel Of Shavano Group18.5 km (11.5 mi) · reservable
- Angel Of Shavano18.6 km (11.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph O'Haver Lake?
What time is golden hour at O'Haver Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at O'Haver Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from O'Haver Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at O'Haver Lake?
How far is O'Haver Lake from Salida?
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.