Located in Klamath County, Oregon, Fourmile Lake is a lake at about 1,752 m (5,748 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 45 km (28 mi) E of Eagle Point.
Fourmile Lake (or Four Mile Lake) is a reservoir located 5,748 feet (1,752 m) above sea level in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. It is 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Medford. The lake was created when the 25-foot-tall (7.6 m) Fourmile Lake Dam was constructed, impounding Fourmile Creek, in the Klamath River watershed. It is located just to the east of Mount McLoughlin, which stands 9,495 feet (2,894 m) above sea level. The lake is bordered by Sky Lakes Wilderness, and is in the Winema National Forest.From the Wikipedia article “Fourmile Lake (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fourmile 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 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) | 7:13 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:33 AM | 57° ENE | 8:50 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 18m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:36 AM | 122° ESE | 4:40 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 04m |
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 | 7:05 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:20 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 25m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 36m |
| June | 4:57 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 17m |
| July | 5:12 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 59m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:31 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:18 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 05m |
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 Fourmile 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 2 (typical truly dark 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 | 4:50 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:43 AM – 4:43 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:43 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:04 PM – 3:14 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:52 PM – 1:52 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:00 PM – 11:50 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 9:46 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.82 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ 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 19% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (73%). 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 | 60 | 61 | 69 | 80 | 92 | 101 | 102 | 104 | 101 | 90 | 76 | 57 |
| Low °F | -2 | 0 | 4 | 20 | 23 | 28 | 37 | 35 | 29 | 23 | 4 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 4.7 | 6.5 |
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
- 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 Fourmile Lake, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
National Wildlife Refuge
Wilderness AreaLakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Fourmile Lake Campground571 m · reservable
- Fish Lake Campground - Rogue River9.5 km (5.9 mi) · reservable
- Aspen Point (Lake Of The Woods, Or)9.6 km (6.0 mi) · reservable
- Doe Point Campground9.9 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- Rainbow Bay10.5 km (6.5 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fourmile Lake?
What time is golden hour at Fourmile Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fourmile Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fourmile Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fourmile Lake?
How far is Fourmile Lake from Eagle Point?
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.