Great Salt Lake — a lake in Box Elder County, Utah — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Hooper, about 39 km (24 mi) away (Great Salt Lake lies W of town).
The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the eighth-largest terminal lake in the world. It lies in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah and has a substantial impact upon the local climate, particularly through lake-effect snow. It is a remnant of Lake Bonneville, a prehistoric body of water that covered much of western Utah. The United States Geological Survey has estimated that the historical average size of the lake (1847-1986) covers about 1,700 square miles (4,400 km2). However, its area can fluctuate substantially due to its low average depth of 16 feet (4.9 m). In the 1980s, it reached a historic high of 3,300 square miles (8,500 km2), and the West Desert Pumping Project was established to mitigate flooding by pumping water from the lake into the Great Salt Lake Desert. In 2021, after years of sustained drought and increased water...From the Wikipedia article “Great Salt Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Great Salt Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:34 AM | 90° E | 7:43 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:59 AM | 57° ENE | 9:07 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 09m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:19 AM | 89° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:53 AM | 121° ESE | 5:05 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 12m |
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 | 7:24 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:37 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:57 PM | 9h 32m |
| February | 6:58 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:33 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 7:15 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:19 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:05 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:42 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 29m |
| June | 5:24 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 08m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:35 PM | 14h 51m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:00 PM | 13h 50m |
| September | 6:44 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:09 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:15 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:20 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 53m |
| December | 7:18 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:34 PM | 9h 14m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Great Salt Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:47 AM – 5:47 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:59 AM – 5:59 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:59 AM – 5:09 AM | 2.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:56 AM – 4:16 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 11:14 PM – 3:44 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:04 PM – 2:24 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 10:15 PM – 12:15 AM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 9:15 PM – 10:15 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:22 PM – 8:22 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.44 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (72%). July 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 | 59 | 60 | 75 | 84 | 95 | 101 | 102 | 100 | 95 | 85 | 70 | 58 |
| Low °F | -14 | -1 | 13 | 23 | 27 | 39 | 50 | 49 | 36 | 19 | -3 | -10 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.9 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Great Salt Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Great Salt Lake?
What time is golden hour at Great Salt Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Great Salt Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Great Salt Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Great Salt Lake?
How far is Great Salt Lake from Hooper?
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.