Located in Elko County, Nevada, Franklin Lake is a lake at about 1,814 m (5,951 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Spring Creek, about 44 km (27 mi) away (Franklin Lake lies SSE of town).
Franklin Lake is a valley playa fed by the Franklin River in Elko County, Nevada, US. On the east side of the Ruby Mountains, it is 65 miles (105 km) southeast of the city of Elko, and is adjacent to the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge. While mostly under private ownership, parts are owned by The Nature Conservancy and Bureau of Land Management; the Franklin Lake Wildlife Management Area is owned by the Nevada Department of Wildlife. The area's habitat, 15,400 acres (6,200 ha) in size, consists of wetlands, an ephemeral lake, marshes, riparian woodland, alkali playa, shrub steppe, and grassland.From the Wikipedia article “Franklin Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Franklin Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:46 AM | 90° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 58° ENE | 8:16 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:30 AM | 89° E | 6:40 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:02 AM | 121° ESE | 4:19 PM | 240° WSW | 26° | 9h 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 | 6:33 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:45 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 37m |
| February | 6:08 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:14 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 6:27 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:36 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:49 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 4:55 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:22 PM | 14h 25m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:47 PM | 15h 02m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 46m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 47m |
| September | 5:56 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:30 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 5:59 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:09 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 57m |
| December | 6:28 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:42 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:48 PM | 9h 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 Franklin Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 4:59 AM – 4:59 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:10 AM – 5:20 AM | 1.2 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:58 AM – 4:18 AM | 2.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:03 AM – 3:33 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:18 PM – 3:08 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:09 PM – 1:39 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:23 PM – 11:43 PM | 2.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:25 PM – 9:35 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:34 PM – 7:34 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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 ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 31% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (69%). 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 | 62 | 64 | 73 | 81 | 92 | 98 | 100 | 98 | 95 | 83 | 70 | 54 |
| Low °F | -18 | -6 | -1 | 15 | 19 | 27 | 42 | 40 | 26 | 8 | -8 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.0 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Franklin Lake, closest first.
Lake
Hot Spring
Mountain Peak
National Wildlife Refuge
Cave
Lake
Lake
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Franklin Lake?
What time is golden hour at Franklin Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Franklin Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Franklin Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Franklin Lake?
How far is Franklin Lake from Spring Creek?
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.