Alice Lake — a lake in Blaine County, Idaho at about 2,622 m (8,602 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 55 km (34 mi) WNW of Sun Valley.
Alice Lake is an alpine lake in the western United States in central Idaho, located high in the Sawtooth Mountains in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. In Blaine County, the lake is one of the largest in the Sawtooth Wilderness and is most easily accessed via the trailhead at Pettit Lake, accessed from State Highway 75 via Sawtooth National Forest road 208. The direct route to the lake begins at the trailhead at the end of the Pettit Lake campground. The trail distance is about 5.5 mi (9 km) to the lake and gains about 1,600 feet (490 m) in elevation. The trail requires five stream crossings, only the last of which has a bridge. With a surface elevation of 8,602 feet (2,622 m) above sea level, Alice Lake can remain frozen into early summer. The lake is framed by the rocky peaks of the Sawtooth Mountains, to the east is El Capitan at 9,901 feet (3,018 m). Alice Lake is within the...From the Wikipedia article “Alice Lake (Sawtooth Wilderness)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Alice Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:44 AM | 90° E | 7:52 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:58 AM | 56° NE | 9:27 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:28 AM | 89° E | 7:39 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:12 AM | 123° ESE | 5:05 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 53m |
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 | 7:40 AM | 8:12 AM | 8:57 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:28 PM | 6:00 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:20 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:39 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:31 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:15 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:27 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:54 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:41 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:18 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:33 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:41 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:01 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 5:37 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:21 PM | 9:56 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 6:13 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:58 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:26 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:34 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 7:04 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 7:35 AM | 8:08 AM | 8:56 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:36 PM | 8h 55m |
Local time (America/Boise), 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 Alice Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:33 AM – 6:13 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:29 AM – 5:09 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:34 AM – 4:04 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:50 PM – 3:30 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:36 PM – 2:06 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:38 PM – 12:08 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:31 PM – 10:01 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.9 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 30% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 45 | 50 | 63 | 75 | 86 | 94 | 98 | 96 | 91 | 82 | 64 | 45 |
| Low °F | -21 | -16 | -8 | 11 | 19 | 26 | 35 | 33 | 24 | 6 | -29 | -18 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.9 |
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 Alice Lake, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
National Forest
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Dark Sky Place
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Alturas Lake Inlet6.5 km (4.1 mi) · reservable
- North Shore Campground6.6 km (4.1 mi) · reservable
- Smokey Bear Campground6.9 km (4.3 mi) · reservable
- Alturas Lake Picnic Area (Id)7.6 km (4.7 mi) · reservable
- Pettit Lake Campground7.8 km (4.8 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Alice Lake?
What time is golden hour at Alice Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Alice Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Alice Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Alice Lake?
How far is Alice Lake from Sun Valley?
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.