Located in Deschutes County, Oregon, Lava Lake is a lake at about 1,446 m (4,744 ft) above sea level. It is part of Deschutes National Forest. It sits roughly 27 km (17 mi) WNW of Three Rivers.
Lava Lake lies in the Cascade Range about 25 miles (40 km) west-southwest of Bend in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a close neighbor of Little Lava Lake, from which it is separated by solidified lava. Lava Lake is at an elevation of 4,740 feet (1,440 m) in the Deschutes National Forest. The lake covers 368 acres (149 ha) to an average depth of 20 feet (6.1 m). Lava Lake, Little Lava Lake, and other nearby lakes are volcanogenic, having formed after lava flows from Mount Bachelor altered drainage patterns in the area. Solidified lava flows are visible along the shorelines of both lakes, and the volcanic peaks Broken Top and South Sister can be seen to the north.From the Wikipedia article “Lava Lake (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lava Lake 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 305° (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) | 7:11 AM | 90° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 56° NE | 8:54 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 123° ESE | 4:33 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 54m |
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 | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:25 PM | 6:54 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:46 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:23 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:04 PM | 8h 55m |
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 Lava Lake, 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 2 (typical truly dark 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:00 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:56 AM – 4:36 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:01 AM – 3:31 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:17 PM – 2:57 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:03 PM – 1:33 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:05 PM – 11:35 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 9:28 PM | 0.5 | 13° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.74 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ 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 23% 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 | 59 | 61 | 72 | 79 | 89 | 95 | 102 | 97 | 95 | 87 | 71 | 55 |
| Low °F | -16 | -5 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 16 | 0 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.6 |
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
- 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 Lava Lake, closest first.
Volcano
Mountain Peak
Lake
Lake
Rock Formation
Lake
Mountain PeakRock Formation
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Lava Lake Campground710 m · reservable
- Little Lava Lake1.4 km (0.9 mi) · reservable
- South Campground - Hosmer Lake (Or)4.8 km (3.0 mi) · reservable
- Mallard Marsh Campground4.9 km (3.0 mi) · reservable
- Little Fawn Campground5.1 km (3.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lava Lake?
What time is golden hour at Lava Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lava Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lava Lake?
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How far is Lava Lake from Three Rivers?
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.