Crump Lake is a lake in Lake County, Oregon at about 1,364 m (4,475 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 44 km (28 mi) ENE of Lakeview.
Crump Lake is a shallow lake in the Warner Valley of eastern Lake County, Oregon, United States. The lake covers 7,680 acres (31.1 km2). It is the largest of the Warner Lakes system. The lake is named for pioneer rancher Thomas Crump. Crump Lake is owned by the Oregon Department of State Lands. Much of the land around the lake is administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The lake and the surrounding wetlands support a wide variety of birds and other wildlife. Recreational opportunities on or near Crump Lake include fishing, bird watching, and camping.From the Wikipedia article “Crump Lake (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Crump Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 57° ENE | 8:40 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 122° ESE | 4:31 PM | 239° WSW | 24° | 9h 05m |
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 | 6:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 26m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:07 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 35m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 15m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 58m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:44 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:07 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 06m |
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 Crump Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:39 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:32 AM – 4:32 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:41 AM – 3:31 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:52 PM – 3:02 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:41 PM – 1:41 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:49 PM – 11:39 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 9:36 PM | 0.8 | 15° | 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.95 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 July as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 63 | 76 | 82 | 92 | 98 | 105 | 100 | 98 | 87 | 72 | 57 |
| Low °F | -15 | 2 | 12 | 18 | 21 | 30 | 39 | 39 | 29 | 16 | 4 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
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 Crump Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Crump Lake?
What time is golden hour at Crump Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Crump Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Crump Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Crump Lake?
How far is Crump Lake from Lakeview?
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.