Pyramid Lake — a lake in Washoe County, Nevada at about 1,157 m (3,796 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 44 km (28 mi) NNE of Spanish Springs.
Pyramid Lake is a saltwater lake in the geographic sink of the basin of the Truckee River, 40 mi (64 km) northeast of Reno, Nevada. Pyramid Lake is the biggest remnant of ancient Lake Lahontan, a large endorheic lake that once covered most of western Nevada. It is approximately 27 miles (43 km) long and 11 miles (18 km) wide, with a perimeter of 71 miles (114 km), covering 112,000 acres (45,000 ha) entirely enclosed within the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Reservation. Pyramid Lake is fed by the Truckee River, which is mostly the outflow from Lake Tahoe. The Truckee River enters Pyramid Lake at its southern end. Pyramid Lake is an endorheic lake, with water leaving only by evaporation or sub-surface seepage. The lake has about 10% of the area of the Great Salt Lake, but it has about 25% more volume. The salinity is approximately 1/6 that of sea water. Although clear Lake Tahoe forms the...From the Wikipedia article “Pyramid Lake (Nevada)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pyramid 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 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:02 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:30 AM | 58° ENE | 8:31 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:18 AM | 121° ESE | 4:37 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 19m |
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 | 6:49 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 39m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:13 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 4:57 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 00m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 44m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 21m |
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 Pyramid 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:05 AM – 5:15 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:15 AM – 5:35 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:13 AM – 4:33 AM | 2.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:17 AM – 3:47 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:32 PM – 3:22 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:24 PM – 1:54 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:38 PM – 11:58 PM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:40 PM – 9:50 PM | 1.2 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:50 PM – 8:00 PM | 0.2 | 11° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.73 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (66%). 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 | 65 | 67 | 77 | 85 | 95 | 101 | 108 | 102 | 101 | 89 | 72 | 57 |
| Low °F | 2 | 10 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 31 | 46 | 47 | 32 | 20 | 13 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.1 |
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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Pyramid Lake, closest first.
Hot Spring
National Wildlife RefugeHot Spring
National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pyramid Lake?
What time is golden hour at Pyramid Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pyramid Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pyramid Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pyramid Lake?
How far is Pyramid Lake from Spanish Springs?
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.