Located in Clackamas County, Oregon, Bull Run Lake is a lake at about 966 m (3,169 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 16.2 km (10.1 mi) NE of Mount Hood Village.
Bull Run Lake is a reservoir, an impoundment of the Bull Run River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Providing part of the primary drinking water supply for Portland, Oregon, it rates highly as an oligotrophic lake, a very clean source of water. As of 1925, noted geographer Lewis A. McArthur described the lake as one of the two most important in the state (along with Crater Lake), supplying the drinking water for a third of the state's population. The lake basin receives more than 110 inches (2,800 mm) of rain annually due to its location in the Cascade Range, about 9 miles (14 km) west of Mount Hood. Public access to the area has been controlled since June 17, 1892, with the creation of the Bull Run Reserve by President Benjamin Harrison. Water from the reservoir first flowed into the Portland water system on January 2, 1895. President Theodore Roosevelt restricted entry to all but...From the Wikipedia article “Bull Run Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bull Run Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 55° NE | 9:00 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:45 AM | 124° ESE | 4:27 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 42m |
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 | 7:11 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:41 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:36 PM | 15h 39m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:53 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:31 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:25 PM | 5:00 PM | 8h 44m |
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 Bull Run Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:12 AM – 5:32 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:12 AM – 4:22 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:12 AM – 3:22 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:35 PM – 2:35 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:18 PM – 1:18 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:13 PM – 11:23 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:02 PM – 9:22 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.33 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 25% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 61 | 60 | 74 | 80 | 90 | 93 | 99 | 96 | 96 | 83 | 64 | 57 |
| Low °F | -2 | 7 | 10 | 24 | 29 | 37 | 42 | 42 | 32 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 5.3 | 6.3 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Bull Run Lake, closest first.
Lake
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
Wilderness Area
Cave
Lake
Glacier
Glacier
National ForestCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Lost Lake Resort And Campground3.7 km (2.3 mi) · reservable
- Lost Creek8.2 km (5.1 mi) · reservable
- Riley Horse Campground8.5 km (5.3 mi) · reservable
- Kinnikinnick (Laurance Lake) Campground13.0 km (8.1 mi) · reservable
- Wahtum Lake Campground13.8 km (8.6 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bull Run Lake?
What time is golden hour at Bull Run Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bull Run Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bull Run Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bull Run Lake?
How far is Bull Run Lake from Mount Hood Village?
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.