Mirror Lake is a lake in Clackamas County, Oregon at about 1,254 m (4,114 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 16.0 km (9.9 mi) ESE of Mount Hood Village.
Mirror Lake is a mountain lake in Clackamas County of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the foot of Tom Dick and Harry Mountain in a natural catchment formed by a toe of the mountain, 11.4 kilometres (7.1 mi) southwest of Mount Hood, and 3.1 kilometres (1.9 mi) WSW of Government Camp within Mount Hood National Forest. It is among the most popular day hikes in the Mount Hood area, and a popular Nordic skiing destination. Its 400-foot (120 m) elevation gain in 1.9 miles (3.1 km) is considered an easy hike.From the Wikipedia article “Mirror Lake (Clackamas County, Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mirror 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 | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 55° NE | 8:59 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 39m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 124° ESE | 4:28 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 | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 08m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:51 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 | 5:52 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 5:04 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 53m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 38m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 19m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:53 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 32m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:30 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:00 PM | 8h 45m |
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 Mirror 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 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 | 3:11 AM – 4:31 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:10 AM – 3:20 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:32 PM – 2:42 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:15 PM – 1:25 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:11 PM – 11:21 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:01 PM – 9:21 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 ≈ 21.43 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 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 Mirror Lake, closest first.
Waterfall
Lake
Lake
National Forest
Mountain Pass
Glacier
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Still Creek4.5 km (2.8 mi) · reservable
- Trillium5.4 km (3.4 mi) · reservable
- Camp Creek5.9 km (3.6 mi) · reservable
- Tollgate9.2 km (5.7 mi) · reservable
- Lost Creek10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mirror Lake?
What time is golden hour at Mirror Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mirror Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mirror Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mirror Lake?
How far is Mirror 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.