Floras Lake is a lake in Curry County, Oregon. It sits roughly 16.6 km (10.3 mi) N of Port Orford.
Floras Lake is a natural 236-acre (96 ha) body of water on the southern Oregon Coast of the United States. Fed by four small tributaries from a basin of about 10 square miles (26 km2) in Curry County, it lies about 10 miles (16 km) north of Port Orford and 2 miles (3 km) west of U.S. Route 101. It was probably named for Fred Flora, a 19th-century settler and miner who lived nearby. The lake, with a mean elevation of about 10 feet (3 m) above sea level, empties north into Floras Creek, where the combined streams form the New River. The river flows north behind a foredune until veering west and entering the Pacific Ocean through a break in the dune. Relatively remote, the lake and the 1,371-acre (555 ha) Floras Lake State Natural Area, can be reached on foot from the south along a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) trail that begins at Cape Blanco Airport. More common is to approach by car on Floras...From the Wikipedia article “Floras Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Floras 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 71° in summer but only 24° 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) | 5:40 AM | 56° ENE | 9:01 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 21m |
| 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 | 4:47 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 01m |
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 | 7:15 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 22m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:53 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 39m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:16 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 20m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:35 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 02m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 45m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:29 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 02m |
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 Floras 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 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.89 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 45% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 65 | 66 | 69 | 74 | 75 | 82 | 82 | 85 | 91 | 80 | 70 | 59 |
| Low °F | 26 | 29 | 33 | 35 | 38 | 44 | 48 | 49 | 44 | 39 | 33 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.0 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 4.9 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 4.2 | 8.6 | 12.2 |
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.
- 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 Floras Lake, closest first.
Lighthouse
State Park
Natural Arch
Rock Formation
State Park
Lake
Wilderness Area
State Park
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Edson Creek Campground (Or)11.7 km (7.3 mi) · reservable
- Sixes River Campground Or18.6 km (11.5 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Floras Lake?
What time is golden hour at Floras Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Floras Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Floras Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Floras Lake?
How far is Floras Lake from Port Orford?
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.