Tolo Lake is a lake in Idaho County, Idaho at about 986 m (3,235 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 8.9 km (5.5 mi) W of Grangeville. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tolo Lake is a shallow, natural lake in camas prairie in Idaho County, Idaho, United States. It is about 35 acres (14 ha) in size. An area of about 206 acres (83 ha) including the lake was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. It is a historic rendez-vous site of the Nez Perce and others. It also has historic significance from the Nez Perce War and the Battle of White Bird Canyon. Mammoth bones were discovered there in 1995.From the Wikipedia article “Tolo Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tolo Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:55 AM | 54° NE | 8:40 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 45m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:33 AM | 89° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 124° SE | 4:03 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 39m |
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 | 6:50 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 03m |
| February | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:42 PM | 10h 23m |
| March | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:28 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 32m |
| May | 4:39 AM | 5:14 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 57m |
| June | 4:16 AM | 4:55 AM | 5:41 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 43m |
| July | 4:33 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 23m |
| August | 5:13 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 10m |
| September | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:28 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:32 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:20 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:31 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 6:14 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:32 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:47 PM | 9h 29m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:11 PM | 4:01 PM | 4:36 PM | 8h 41m |
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 Tolo Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:01 AM – 5:11 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:52 AM – 4:02 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 12:55 AM – 2:55 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:21 PM – 2:11 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:01 PM – 12:51 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 10:54 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 8:51 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.78 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 29% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 43 | 51 | 67 | 76 | 85 | 94 | 100 | 95 | 91 | 85 | 63 | 47 |
| Low °F | -17 | -11 | -2 | 7 | 20 | 29 | 38 | 35 | 27 | 6 | -4 | -14 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 3.7 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Tolo Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Fish Creek Pavilion13.6 km (8.4 mi) · reservable
- Fish Creek Group Use14.3 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
- South Fork Group Site 5 - Nez Perce Nf (Id)23 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tolo Lake?
What time is golden hour at Tolo Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tolo Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tolo Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tolo Lake?
How far is Tolo Lake from Grangeville?
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.