Located in Lyon County, Nevada, Lahontan Reservoir is a lake. The nearest town is Silver Springs, about 9.7 km (6.0 mi) away (Lahontan Reservoir lies E of town).
Lahontan Reservoir is a reservoir on the Carson River in Lyon and Churchill counties in Nevada, United States.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Lahontan (reservoir)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lahontan Reservoir the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:31 AM | 58° ENE | 8:28 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:14 AM | 120° ESE | 4:37 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 23m |
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 | 6:46 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 42m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:56 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:13 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 20m |
| June | 4:57 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 56m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 41m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:12 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:11 PM | 10h 02m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:53 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 24m |
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 Lahontan Reservoir, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:03 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:13 AM – 5:33 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:10 AM – 4:40 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:13 AM – 3:43 AM | 3.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:27 PM – 3:27 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:19 PM – 1:59 AM | 3.7 | 22° | S → SW |
| August | 9:34 PM – 11:54 PM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:37 PM – 9:57 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:48 PM – 7:58 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.52 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 21% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 70 | 71 | 78 | 86 | 95 | 101 | 106 | 101 | 100 | 89 | 74 | 63 |
| Low °F | 5 | 9 | 17 | 21 | 26 | 32 | 47 | 44 | 32 | 19 | 9 | 4 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.2 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Lahontan Reservoir, closest first.
State Park
State Park
Waterfall
Ghost Town
Hot SpringFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lahontan Reservoir?
What time is golden hour at Lahontan Reservoir?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lahontan Reservoir?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lahontan Reservoir?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lahontan Reservoir?
How far is Lahontan Reservoir from Silver Springs?
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.