Walter Wirth Lake is a lake in Marion County, Oregon at about 62 m (203 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Four Corners, about 2.1 km (1.3 mi) away (Walter Wirth Lake lies SSW of town).
Walter Wirth Lake (aka Lake Wirth) is a lake in Salem, Oregon, United States. Walter Wirth Lake is wholly contained within Cascades Gateway Park. The park and lake began development in 1957 with the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce working with the State Highway Department to convert a gravel burrow pit into a park. Original development of the park included a swimming area, paddle boats, a children's zoo, and concession stands. In 1976, a Department of Environmental Quality study determined the lake to be suffering the effects from upstream polluters closing the lake to swimming. Since that time the lake has held numerous programs in canoeing, sailing, and fishing, it is now open for swimming again.From the Wikipedia article “Walter Wirth Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Walter Wirth Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:16 AM | 90° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:26 AM | 55° NE | 9:03 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 123° ESE | 4:34 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 46m |
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 | 7:14 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:33 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 10m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 27m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 5:10 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 35m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 16m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 05m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 34m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:32 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 48m |
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 Walter Wirth 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 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:16 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:15 AM – 4:35 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:14 AM – 3:24 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:34 PM – 2:44 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:17 PM – 1:27 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:15 PM – 11:25 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:25 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.54 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 28% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 68 | 68 | 73 | 86 | 97 | 98 | 106 | 103 | 98 | 87 | 78 | 61 |
| Low °F | 9 | 7 | 17 | 22 | 28 | 36 | 42 | 40 | 35 | 25 | 10 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.1 | 6.3 | 7.2 | 5.4 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 4.9 | 8.4 | 9.9 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Walter Wirth Lake, closest first.
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Ghost Town
National Wildlife Refuge
Botanical Garden
Ghost Town
State Park
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Walter Wirth Lake?
What time is golden hour at Walter Wirth Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Walter Wirth Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Walter Wirth Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Walter Wirth Lake?
How far is Walter Wirth Lake from Four Corners?
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.