Paulina Lake — a lake in Deschutes County, Oregon at about 1,932 m (6,339 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument. It sits roughly 20 km (13 mi) ESE of Three Rivers.
Paulina Lake is one of the twin crater lakes in Newberry Crater, central Oregon, United States (the other being East Lake). It is located 6,331 feet (1,930 m) above sea level in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument near La Pine. The lake's primary inflow is seepage from East Lake, snow melt, and hot springs, and its outflow is Paulina Creek, a tributary of the Little Deschutes River. It has an area of 1,531 acres (619.6 ha), a volume of 249,850 acre-feet (308,185 dam3), a maximum depth of 250 feet (76.2 m), a shore length of about 6.7 miles (11 km), and a residence time of about 46 years. The lake is classified as mesotrophic, with a transparency of approximately 13.1 feet (3.99 m). It is about 40 feet (12 m) lower and one mile west of its twin, East Lake. Paulina Lake sits within the Newberry Crater, formed from over 500,000 years of volcanic activity. The lake bears the name of...From the Wikipedia article “Paulina Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Paulina 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) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 56° NE | 8:51 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:36 AM | 123° ESE | 4:31 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 55m |
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 | 7:04 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:21 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:07 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:25 PM | 15h 26m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:20 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:43 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:20 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:02 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 Paulina 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 | 4:57 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:53 AM – 4:33 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:57 AM – 3:27 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:12 PM – 2:52 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:59 PM – 1:39 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:02 PM – 11:32 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:55 PM – 9:35 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 ≈ 21.76 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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- 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 Paulina Lake, closest first.
Waterfall
Volcano
Waterfall
Volcano
Mountain PeakVolcano
State ParkWaterfall
Fire LookoutCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Little Crater Campground1.5 km (0.9 mi) · reservable
- Newberry Group Camp Site1.5 km (1.0 mi) · reservable
- Paulina Lake Campground1.7 km (1.0 mi) · reservable
- Chief Paulina Horse Camp1.8 km (1.1 mi) · reservable
- East Lake Campground3.8 km (2.4 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Paulina Lake?
What time is golden hour at Paulina Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Paulina Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Paulina Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Paulina Lake?
How far is Paulina 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.