Priest Lake — a lake in Bonner County, Idaho — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Ponderay, about 38 km (24 mi) away (Priest Lake lies NW of town).
Priest Lake is a lake in Idaho, United States, in the northernmost portion of the Idaho Panhandle, 80 miles (130 km) northeast of Spokane, Washington. The northern end of the lake extends to within 15 miles (24 km) of the Canada–United States border. The primary lake, lower Priest, is 19 miles (31 km) long and over 300 feet (91 m) deep. Upper Priest is connected by a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) thoroughfare to lower Priest.From the Wikipedia article “Priest Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Priest Lake 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 234° (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) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:46 AM | 52° NE | 8:54 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 08m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:35 AM | 89° E | 6:47 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 126° SE | 3:55 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 17m |
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 | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:27 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 45m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:41 PM | 10h 13m |
| March | 6:30 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:25 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 4:30 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:22 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 14m |
| June | 4:04 AM | 4:46 AM | 5:35 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:34 PM | 16h 07m |
| July | 4:22 AM | 5:02 AM | 5:50 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:26 PM | 15h 44m |
| August | 5:07 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 22m |
| September | 5:54 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:21 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:36 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:17 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:31 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:22 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:45 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:09 PM | 4:44 PM | 9h 13m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:29 AM | 2:59 PM | 3:53 PM | 4:30 PM | 8h 19m |
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 Priest Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:36 AM – 3:56 AM | 0.3 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:31 AM – 2:31 AM | 1.0 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:25 AM – 1:05 AM | 0.7 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:38 PM – 12:18 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:11 PM – 10:21 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.88 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 Priest Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Bartoo Island Boat-In Campground1.7 km (1.1 mi) · reservable
- Kalispell Island Boat-In Campground2.0 km (1.2 mi) · reservable
- Luby Bay5.2 km (3.2 mi) · reservable
- Reeder Bay6.8 km (4.2 mi) · reservable
- Outlet At Priest Lake7.2 km (4.5 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Priest Lake?
What time is golden hour at Priest Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Priest Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Priest Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Priest Lake?
How far is Priest Lake from Ponderay?
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.