Lake Marie — a lake in Douglas County, Oregon — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Reedsport, about 9.3 km (5.8 mi) away (Lake Marie lies WSW of town).
Lake Marie is a small freshwater lake in Umpqua Lighthouse State Park, near Winchester Bay, Oregon, United States. It has a sandy beach at one end for swimming and day use, hiking trails surrounding it, and is overlooked by a couple of log cabins which can be rented.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Marie”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Marie the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:21 AM | 90° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:36 AM | 56° NE | 9:03 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 123° ESE | 4:43 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 55m |
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 | 7:16 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:33 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:05 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:19 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 5:00 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:37 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:15 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:32 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:31 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:14 PM | 8h 57m |
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 Lake Marie, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:09 AM – 5:49 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:05 AM – 4:45 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:09 AM – 3:39 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:24 PM – 3:04 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:11 PM – 1:51 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:14 PM – 11:44 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:07 PM – 9:47 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.67 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 September as the clearest month (about 64% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (83%). 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 | 61 | 65 | 67 | 75 | 75 | 79 | 79 | 82 | 85 | 78 | 65 | 62 |
| Low °F | 31 | 30 | 35 | 37 | 41 | 47 | 49 | 50 | 46 | 38 | 33 | 28 |
| Precip. (in) | 7.5 | 6.1 | 6.3 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 7.7 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Lake Marie, closest first.
Lighthouse
State Park
Lake
Scenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
Wilderness Area
State ParkWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Umpqua Sand Camping3.4 km (2.1 mi) · reservable
- Eel Creek Campground8.0 km (5.0 mi) · reservable
- Spinreel Sand Camping10.1 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Spinreel10.1 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Tahkenitch Campground15.6 km (9.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Marie?
What time is golden hour at Lake Marie?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Marie?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Marie?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Marie?
How far is Lake Marie from Reedsport?
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.