Located in Wallowa County, Oregon, Minam Lake is a lake at about 2,249 m (7,379 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 21 km (13 mi) SSW of Joseph.
Minam Lake is a high-elevation reservoir in the Eagle Cap Wilderness of the Wallowa Mountains in the U.S. state of Oregon. The unusual reservoir, a modified natural lake, has outlets on both its north and south ends. The south outlet drains to the Minam River, and the north outlet is the source of the Lostine River. A natural lake at this spot had only a south outlet. In the early 20th century, the lake was enlarged, and its flow altered by a 14-foot (4.3 m) high dam near the south end of the lake. The dam's purpose was to store additional water and to deflect it north for irrigation of farms in the Lostine Valley. It is said that minam is a word that evolved in the mid-19th century from the native word e-mi-ne-mah. The latter referred to the Minam River Valley, where a kind of plant with edible roots grew in abundance. Mah was a suffix meaning valley or canyon.From the Wikipedia article “Minam Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Minam 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) | 6:53 AM | 90° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:03 AM | 55° NE | 8:41 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 38m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:37 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 124° ESE | 4:11 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 44m |
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 | 6:52 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:12 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 08m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 26m |
| March | 6:33 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 4:46 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 52m |
| June | 4:25 AM | 5:02 AM | 5:48 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 37m |
| July | 4:41 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 18m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 06m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:36 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:35 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 33m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:09 PM | 4:42 PM | 8h 46m |
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 Minam Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 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 1 (excellent dark-sky 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 | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:54 AM – 5:14 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:53 AM – 4:13 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:52 AM – 3:02 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:14 PM – 2:24 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:57 PM – 1:07 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:53 PM – 11:03 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 9:03 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.9 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 29% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 48 | 53 | 67 | 78 | 88 | 97 | 102 | 100 | 97 | 87 | 64 | 52 |
| Low °F | -14 | -9 | 5 | 16 | 23 | 29 | 36 | 36 | 26 | 11 | -3 | -11 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 3.5 |
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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Minam Lake, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Lake
Lake
Mountain Peak
Lake
Mountain PassWilderness Area
Waterfall
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Shady Campground8.7 km (5.4 mi)
- Two Color Guard Station16.1 km (10.0 mi) · reservable
- North Fork Catherine Creek Group Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Moss Springs Campground28 km (17 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Minam Lake?
What time is golden hour at Minam Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Minam Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Minam Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Minam Lake?
How far is Minam Lake from Joseph?
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.