Loon Lake — a lake in Douglas County, Oregon at about 121 m (397 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Reedsport, about 24 km (15 mi) away (Loon Lake lies ESE of town).
Loon Lake is a 294-acre (119 ha) lake in Douglas County in the Oregon Coast Range of the United States, 15 miles (24 km) east-southeast of Reedsport, Oregon, at an elevation of 392 feet (119 m). The lake is about 2 miles (3 km) long with a maximum width of about 0.4 miles (0.6 km), and is over 100 feet (30 m) deep in some places. The lake is "a classic example of a landslide lake", dammed by a slide of sandstone blocks which fell into the Lake Creek valley about 1,400 years ago. The lake was discovered in 1852 and named for the loons found on its waters.From the Wikipedia article “Loon Lake (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Loon 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 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) | 7:19 AM | 90° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:35 AM | 56° NE | 9:01 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:46 AM | 123° ESE | 4:42 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 56m |
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 | 7:14 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:45 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:00 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:50 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:03 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:18 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:58 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:14 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:31 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:50 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:01 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:54 PM | 6:33 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:30 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:13 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 Loon Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 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 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 | 5:07 AM – 5:47 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:02 AM – 4:42 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:06 AM – 3:46 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:20 PM – 3:10 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:07 PM – 1:47 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:10 PM – 11:50 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:45 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: 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 ≈ 21.78 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 31% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (79%). 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 | 65 | 70 | 75 | 85 | 92 | 98 | 101 | 104 | 98 | 90 | 74 | 61 |
| Low °F | 18 | 20 | 25 | 26 | 32 | 40 | 43 | 46 | 39 | 26 | 22 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 7.3 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 7.4 | 9.3 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Loon Lake, closest first.
Waterfall
State ParkWaterfallWaterfall
State Park
Wilderness AreaWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Loon Lake Recreation Site339 m · reservable
- East Shore Campground Or931 m · reservable
- Eel Creek Campground28 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Spinreel29 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Spinreel Sand Camping29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Loon Lake?
What time is golden hour at Loon Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Loon Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Loon Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Loon Lake?
How far is Loon Lake 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.