Located in Lane County, Oregon, Waldo Lake is a lake at about 1,657 m (5,436 ft) above sea level. It is part of Willamette National Forest. The nearest town is Oakridge, about 34 km (21 mi) away (Waldo Lake lies E of town).
Waldo Lake is a natural subalpine lake in the Cascade Mountains of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the second largest natural non-alkali lake in Oregon with just under 10 square miles (26 km2) of water surface and a maximum depth of 420 feet (130 m). The lake is named after Oregon politician, judge, and conservationist John B. Waldo.From the Wikipedia article “Waldo Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Waldo 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) | 7:12 AM | 90° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:27 AM | 56° NE | 8:54 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:40 AM | 123° ESE | 4:35 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 | 7:08 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:25 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:56 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:51 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 26m |
| July | 5:06 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:19 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:47 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:23 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:05 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 Waldo 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 | 5:00 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:56 AM – 4:36 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:00 AM – 3:30 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:15 PM – 2:55 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:02 PM – 1:42 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:05 PM – 11:35 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 9:38 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 ≈ 21.81 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 25% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (75%). August 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 | 64 | 64 | 70 | 78 | 87 | 94 | 103 | 99 | 96 | 86 | 74 | 58 |
| Low °F | 1 | -1 | 5 | 11 | 24 | 31 | 36 | 37 | 31 | 21 | 0 | -1 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.6 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 4.4 | 2.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 6.7 | 8.5 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Waldo Lake, closest first.
Waterfall
Fire Lookout
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Shadow Bay2.9 km (1.8 mi) · reservable
- Islet Campground4.1 km (2.6 mi) · reservable
- North Waldo5.3 km (3.3 mi) · reservable
- Gold Lake Campground (Or)10.0 km (6.2 mi) · reservable
- Princess Creek Campground15.0 km (9.3 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Waldo Lake?
What time is golden hour at Waldo Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Waldo Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Waldo Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Waldo Lake?
How far is Waldo Lake from Oakridge?
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.