Bradley Lake is a lake in Coos County, Oregon. The nearest town is Bandon, about 6.1 km (3.8 mi) away (Bradley Lake lies SSW of town).
Bradley Lake is a natural lake on the Oregon Coast in Coos County, Oregon, United States, about 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Bandon. Its surface area is 23 acres (9.3 ha). It is a popular fishing spot for rainbow trout. Bradley Lake was formed when coastal sand dunes blocked the exit of China Creek, flooding a depression, and accumulating about twenty feet of sediment. The lake has been protected from storm surges, but not tsunami waves, which dumped sand and salt water. Kelsey et al discovered evidence of seventeen such events, after radiocarbon dating of core samples, over a 4600 year period within the Cascadia subduction zone.From the Wikipedia article “Bradley Lake (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bradley Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:22 AM | 90° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:39 AM | 56° ENE | 9:01 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:47 AM | 122° ESE | 4:46 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 9h 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 | 7:16 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:22 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 5:03 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 5:18 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:35 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 03m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:29 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 01m |
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 Bradley Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:59 AM – 5:49 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:03 AM – 4:43 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:05 AM – 3:45 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:18 PM – 3:18 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:05 PM – 1:55 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:11 PM – 11:51 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:07 PM – 9:57 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.57 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 64% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (83%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 61 | 65 | 67 | 75 | 75 | 79 | 79 | 82 | 85 | 78 | 65 | 62 |
| Low °F | 31 | 30 | 35 | 37 | 41 | 47 | 49 | 50 | 46 | 38 | 33 | 28 |
| Precip. (in) | 7.5 | 6.1 | 6.3 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 7.7 | 9.9 |
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 Bradley Lake, closest first.
State Park
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
Lighthouse
State Park
State Park
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bradley Lake?
What time is golden hour at Bradley Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bradley Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bradley Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bradley Lake?
How far is Bradley Lake from Bandon?
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.