Caddo Lake — a lake in Caddo Parish, Louisiana — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 18.1 km (11.2 mi) NW of Blanchard.
Caddo Lake (French: Lac Caddo) is a 25,400-acre (10,300 ha) lake and bayou (wetland) on the border between Texas and Louisiana, in northern Harrison County and southern Marion County in Texas and western Caddo Parish in Louisiana. The lake is named after the Caddoans or Caddo, Native Americans who lived in the area until their expulsion by the United States in the 19th century. The US forced most of them to move west to Indian Territory. The lake and bayou comprise an internationally protected wetland under the Ramsar Convention and includes one of the largest flooded cypress forests in the United States. Caddo is one of Texas's few non-oxbow natural lakes. It was artificially altered by the addition of a dam in the 1900s.From the Wikipedia article “Caddo Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Caddo Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:21 AM | 90° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:09 AM | 61° ENE | 8:28 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 18m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 118° ESE | 5:15 PM | 243° WSW | 34° | 10h 00m |
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 | 7:19 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 14m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:27 PM | 11h 02m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:22 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:12 PM | 12h 59m |
| May | 5:51 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 50m |
| June | 5:40 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 18m |
| July | 5:52 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 06m |
| August | 6:14 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 22m |
| September | 6:36 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:44 PM | 7:09 PM | 11h 24m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:42 PM | 10h 29m |
| December | 6:44 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:40 PM | 10h 01m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Caddo Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:45 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:56 AM – 5:56 AM | 2.0 | 25° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:52 AM – 5:12 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:53 PM – 4:33 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:08 PM – 4:18 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:04 PM – 2:54 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:32 PM – 12:52 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 10:57 PM | 2.2 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:06 PM – 8:56 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.44 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 40% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (61%). August 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 | 78 | 81 | 89 | 94 | 102 | 107 | 108 | 113 | 108 | 98 | 88 | 80 |
| Low °F | 13 | 17 | 20 | 30 | 39 | 58 | 63 | 59 | 46 | 33 | 20 | 17 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 4.4 |
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.
- 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 Caddo Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Caddo Lake?
What time is golden hour at Caddo Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Caddo Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Caddo Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Caddo Lake?
How far is Caddo Lake from Blanchard?
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.