Detroit Lake is a lake in Marion County, Oregon. It sits roughly 22 km (14 mi) ESE of Mill City.
Detroit Lake is a reservoir impounded by the Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River 46 miles (74 km) southeast of Salem, Oregon, United States. The lake is adjacent to Oregon Route 22 near the city of Detroit. This mesotrophic lake stores water for use by the city of Salem and other nearby communities.From the Wikipedia article “Detroit Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Detroit Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 55° NE | 8:59 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 123° ESE | 4:32 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 48m |
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 | 7:43 AM | 8:29 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 11m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 49m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 33m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 14m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 6:19 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 36m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:28 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:03 PM | 8h 50m |
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 Detroit Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.3 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 | 5:13 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:11 AM – 4:31 AM | 1.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:09 AM – 3:29 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:28 PM – 2:48 AM | 3.3 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:12 PM – 1:32 AM | 2.3 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:11 PM – 11:31 PM | 1.3 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:02 PM – 9:32 PM | 0.5 | 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 ≈ 21.59 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 28% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). August 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 | 68 | 68 | 73 | 86 | 97 | 98 | 106 | 103 | 98 | 87 | 78 | 61 |
| Low °F | 9 | 7 | 17 | 22 | 28 | 36 | 42 | 40 | 35 | 25 | 10 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.1 | 6.3 | 7.2 | 5.4 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 4.9 | 8.4 | 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
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Detroit Lake, closest first.
Natural ArchNatural Arch
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
Ghost Town
Wilderness Area
LakeWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Southshore At Detroit Lake - Willamette (Or)2.7 km (1.7 mi) · reservable
- Cove Creek (Or)4.3 km (2.6 mi) · reservable
- Piety Island4.8 km (3.0 mi) · reservable
- Hoover Campground6.9 km (4.3 mi) · reservable
- Santiam Flats Campground7.4 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Detroit Lake?
What time is golden hour at Detroit Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Detroit Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Detroit Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Detroit Lake?
How far is Detroit Lake from Mill City?
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.