Silver Lake (Oregon) is a lake in Lake County, Oregon at about 1,318 m (4,324 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 106 km (66 mi) SSE of Deschutes River Woods.
Silver Lake is an intermittent high-desert lake in Lake County, Oregon, United States. It is 6 miles (10 km) east of the community of Silver Lake. It is unknown who first gave the lake its descriptive name. Central Oregon residents attribute it to John C. Frémont, although no proof has been found, and he would not have seen the lake on his first visit to Oregon in 1843. The Klamath called the lake Kalpshi, which may have been derived from the word kalapsh, meaning a decayed log. The name was used because of the petrified wood near the lake.From the Wikipedia article “Silver Lake (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Silver Lake (Oregon) the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (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) | 7:08 AM | 90° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 56° NE | 8:47 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 122° ESE | 4:32 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 59m |
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 | 7:01 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 6:48 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:38 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:40 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:15 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 01m |
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 Silver Lake (Oregon), the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 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 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 | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:45 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:49 AM – 4:29 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:51 AM – 3:31 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:04 PM – 3:04 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:51 PM – 1:41 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:57 PM – 11:37 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 9:43 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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 ≈ 21.93 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 23% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (73%). 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 | 75 | 81 | 91 | 97 | 103 | 99 | 98 | 87 | 71 | 57 |
| Low °F | -14 | -3 | 13 | 20 | 22 | 28 | 38 | 37 | 29 | 15 | 2 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.3 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Silver Lake (Oregon), closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Duncan Reservoir Campground5.5 km (3.4 mi)
- Hager Mountain Lookout15.2 km (9.5 mi) · reservable
- Fremont Point Cabin26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Silver Lake (Oregon)?
What time is golden hour at Silver Lake (Oregon)?
Where does the sun rise and set at Silver Lake (Oregon)?
Can you see the Milky Way from Silver Lake (Oregon)?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Silver Lake (Oregon)?
How far is Silver Lake (Oregon) from Deschutes River Woods?
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.