Warner Lakes — a lake in Lake County, Oregon at about 1,364 m (4,475 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 50 km (31 mi) NE of Lakeview.
The Warner Lakes are a chain of shallow lakes and marshes in the Warner Valley of eastern Lake County, Oregon, United States. The lakes extend the length of the valley, covering approximately 90,000 acres (360 km2). The lakes are named in honor of Captain William H. Warner, a topographical engineer who explored Warner Valley before being killed by Native Americans in 1849. The Warner Lakes and surrounding wetlands support a wide variety of birds and other wildlife. Much of the land surrounding the lakes is owned by the public and is administered by the Bureau of Land Management. These public lands provide recreational opportunities including hunting, fishing, bird watching, and camping.From the Wikipedia article “Warner Lakes”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Warner Lakes the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) 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) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:23 AM | 57° ENE | 8:41 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 18m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 122° ESE | 4:30 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 04m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 25m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 36m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 17m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 59m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:39 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:08 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 05m |
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 Warner Lakes, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | 4:40 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:33 AM – 4:33 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:43 AM – 3:33 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:54 PM – 3:04 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:42 PM – 1:42 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 11:40 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 9:37 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 ≈ 21.94 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 24% 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 | 61 | 63 | 76 | 82 | 92 | 98 | 105 | 100 | 98 | 87 | 72 | 57 |
| Low °F | -15 | 2 | 12 | 18 | 21 | 30 | 39 | 39 | 29 | 16 | 4 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
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
- 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 Warner Lakes, closest first.
Hot Spring
LakeHot Spring
National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Warner Lakes?
What time is golden hour at Warner Lakes?
Where does the sun rise and set at Warner Lakes?
Can you see the Milky Way from Warner Lakes?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Warner Lakes?
How far is Warner Lakes from Lakeview?
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.