Located in Bandera County, Texas, Medina Lake is a lake. It sits roughly 6.5 km (4.0 mi) SSW of Lakehills.
Medina Lake is a reservoir on the Medina River in the Texas Hill Country of the United States. It is operated by the Bexar/Medina/Atascosa County Agricultural District. Medina Dam was completed in 1913 in a privately financed project, creating the lake to supply irrigation water for local agricultural use. Lake Medina is in northeastern Medina County and southeastern Bandera County, about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of San Antonio. It is a crescent-shaped reservoir running west to east. It is 18 miles (29 km) long and 3 miles (5 km) wide at its broadest point. It is contained by the Medina Dam at the lake's south end. At the time of the dam's construction, it was the largest concrete dam in the country and the fourth largest dam overall. The dam is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The lake is fed by and discharges back into the Medina River, and serves both...From the Wikipedia article “Medina Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Medina Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 84° in summer but only 37° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:41 AM | 90° E | 7:48 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:37 AM | 62° ENE | 8:40 PM | 298° WNW | 84° | 14h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:25 AM | 89° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:27 AM | 117° ESE | 5:42 PM | 243° WSW | 37° | 10h 15m |
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 | 7:07 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 27m |
| February | 6:52 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 10m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:18 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:09 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:46 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:27 PM | 12h 53m |
| May | 6:18 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 38m |
| June | 6:09 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 02m |
| July | 6:20 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:05 PM | 13h 52m |
| August | 6:40 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:43 PM | 13h 13m |
| September | 6:58 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:53 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:07 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:14 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 29m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:08 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 41m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 16m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Medina Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 32° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| February | 4:56 AM – 5:46 AM | 0.8 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:04 AM – 6:24 AM | 2.3 | 28° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:06 AM – 5:46 AM | 3.7 | 32° | SE → S |
| May | 12:02 AM – 5:12 AM | 5.2 | 32° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:14 PM – 4:54 AM | 6.7 | 32° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:11 PM – 3:31 AM | 5.3 | 32° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 1:33 AM | 3.8 | 32° | S → SW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 11:23 PM | 2.3 | 29° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:26 PM – 9:26 PM | 1.0 | 20° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.89 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (61%). August is the warmest month and January 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 | 84 | 95 | 95 | 103 | 105 | 109 | 110 | 112 | 108 | 99 | 90 | 84 |
| Low °F | 20 | 18 | 22 | 34 | 43 | 61 | 64 | 65 | 51 | 34 | 25 | 23 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- 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 Medina Lake, closest first.
Ghost Town
State Park
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Medina Lake?
What time is golden hour at Medina Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Medina Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Medina Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Medina Lake?
How far is Medina Lake from Lakehills?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.