Located in Hood River County, Oregon, Lost Lake is a lake at about 959 m (3,146 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 19.4 km (12.1 mi) NE of Mount Hood Village.
Lost Lake is a lake in Mount Hood National Forest 10.1 miles (16.2 km) northwest of Mount Hood in Hood River County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is 21.4 miles (34.4 km) southwest of Hood River, a 26.4-mile (42.5 km) drive. The lake is bounded on the east by 4,468-foot (1,362 m) Lost Lake Butte and on the southwest by 4,556-foot (1,389 m) Preachers Peak. The lake is fed by three unnamed intermittent creeks from Lost Lake Butte, and Inlet Creek from Preachers Peak. The lake maintains a very consistent level via an outlet at the north tip, the source of Lake Branch Hood River, a tributary of West Fork Hood River. It is the second-deepest lake in Mount Hood National Forest after Wahtum Lake at 167 feet (51 m).From the Wikipedia article “Lost Lake (Hood River County, Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lost Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 55° NE | 9:00 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:45 AM | 124° ESE | 4:27 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 42m |
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 | 7:11 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:41 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:36 PM | 15h 40m |
| July | 4:57 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:53 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:31 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:59 PM | 8h 44m |
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 Lost Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:12 AM – 5:32 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:12 AM – 4:22 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:12 AM – 3:22 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:35 PM – 2:35 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:18 PM – 1:18 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:13 PM – 11:23 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:02 PM – 9:22 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.34 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 25% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 61 | 60 | 74 | 80 | 90 | 93 | 99 | 96 | 96 | 83 | 64 | 57 |
| Low °F | -2 | 7 | 10 | 24 | 29 | 37 | 42 | 42 | 32 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 5.3 | 6.3 |
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
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Lost Lake, closest first.
Lake
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfall
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
Wilderness AreaWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Lost Lake Resort And Campground65 m · reservable
- Wahtum Lake Campground10.0 km (6.2 mi)
- Lost Creek12.0 km (7.5 mi) · reservable
- Riley Horse Campground12.3 km (7.6 mi) · reservable
- Kinnikinnick (Laurance Lake) Campground12.8 km (8.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lost Lake?
What time is golden hour at Lost Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lost Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lost Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lost Lake?
How far is Lost Lake from Mount Hood Village?
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.