Located in Lake County, Oregon, Summer Lake is a lake at about 1,265 m (4,150 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Altamont, about 106 km (66 mi) away (Summer Lake lies NE of town).
Summer Lake is a large, shallow, alkali lake in Lake County, Oregon, United States located 5 miles (8 km) south of the small, unincorporated community of Summer Lake, Oregon. At high water it is about 15 miles (24 km) long and 5 miles (8 km) wide, and supports a wide variety of birds and other wildlife in its marshes. The lake was named by explorer John C. Frémont on his expedition into Central Oregon in 1843.From the Wikipedia article “Summer Lake (Oregon)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Summer Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) 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 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:07 AM | 90° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 56° ENE | 8:46 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 122° ESE | 4:33 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 01m |
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 | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:48 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 38m |
| June | 4:50 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 19m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 02m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:43 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:38 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 45m |
| December | 6:55 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 03m |
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 Summer Lake, 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:44 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:47 AM – 4:37 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:49 AM – 3:39 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:00 PM – 3:00 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:48 PM – 1:38 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 11:45 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:51 PM – 9:41 PM | 0.8 | 15° | 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 22% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 60 | 60 | 71 | 77 | 88 | 96 | 102 | 97 | 94 | 86 | 70 | 54 |
| Low °F | -14 | -5 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 27 | 37 | 35 | 26 | 16 | -1 | -11 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 2.9 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Summer Lake, closest first.
Hot Spring
Hot Spring
Cave
Mountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Fremont Point Cabin8.0 km (5.0 mi) · reservable
- Currier Guard Station18.4 km (11.4 mi) · reservable
- Bald Butte Lookout (Fremont-Winema National Forest, Or)24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Marsters Spring Campground26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Summer Lake?
What time is golden hour at Summer Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Summer Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Summer Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Summer Lake?
How far is Summer Lake from Altamont?
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.