Lake Pend Oreille is a lake in Bonner County, Idaho. It is part of Kaniksu National Forest. It sits roughly 20 km (13 mi) SE of Sandpoint.
Lake Pend Oreille ( POND-ə-RAY) in the northern Idaho Panhandle is the largest lake in the U.S. state of Idaho and the 40th-largest lake by area in the United States, with a surface area of 148 square miles (380 km2). It is 69 kilometres (43 mi) long, and 1,152 feet (351 m) deep in some regions, making it the fifth-deepest in the nation and having a volume of 43,939,940 acre feet = 54 km3. The lake is fed by the Clark Fork River and the Pack River, and drains into the Pend Oreille River, as well as subsurfacely into the Spokane Valley–Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. It is surrounded by national forests and a few small towns, with the largest population on the lake at Sandpoint. The majority of the shoreline is non-populated and all but the southern tip of the lake is in Bonner County. The southern tip is in Kootenai County and is home to Farragut State Park, formerly the Farragut Naval...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Pend Oreille”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Pend Oreille the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:46 AM | 52° NE | 8:50 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:33 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 126° SE | 3:55 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 21m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:23 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:54 PM | 8h 48m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:40 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:28 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:23 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 4:30 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:56 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:04 AM | 4:45 AM | 5:34 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:29 PM | 16h 03m |
| July | 4:22 AM | 5:01 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:22 PM | 15h 41m |
| August | 5:06 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:18 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 5:52 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:19 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:31 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:34 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:29 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:41 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:09 PM | 4:43 PM | 9h 15m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:24 AM | 2:59 PM | 3:53 PM | 4:29 PM | 8h 23m |
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 Lake Pend Oreille, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:22 AM – 3:52 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:26 AM – 2:26 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:11 AM – 1:11 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:32 PM – 12:22 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:07 PM – 10:27 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.81 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 34% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 37 | 44 | 59 | 72 | 82 | 93 | 98 | 101 | 89 | 79 | 55 | 40 |
| Low °F | -32 | -29 | -22 | 4 | 24 | 29 | 37 | 37 | 22 | 5 | -26 | -30 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.8 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 5.4 | 5.0 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Lake Pend Oreille, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
National Forest
CanyonScenic Viewpoint
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Sam Owen6.7 km (4.2 mi) · reservable
- Springy Point20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Lunch Peak Lookout25 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Pend Oreille?
What time is golden hour at Lake Pend Oreille?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Pend Oreille?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Pend Oreille?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Pend Oreille?
How far is Lake Pend Oreille from Sandpoint?
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.