Mirror Lake is a lake in Duchesne County, Utah at about 3,073 m (10,082 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 34 km (21 mi) ENE of Kamas.
Mirror Lake is a lake in the high Uinta Mountains in Utah. It is a popular fishing and recreation spot. The lake contains three species of trout: rainbow, brook, and tiger. The lake has a Forest Service campground, picnic facilities, and a boat ramp for non-motorized watercraft. Access to the lake is by the Mirror Lake Highway, which is only open during the summer (other than by snowmobile). The lake's name comes from the near-perfect reflection of the surrounding mountains and trees seen from a roadside overlook or from the shore. The shoreline is owned by the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Mirror Lake includes the adjacent Mirror Lake Campground, with latrines, day-use areas and 94 campsites. The water that enters the lake is overflow from Pass Lake located just above Mirror Lake. The outflow is the headwaters of the Duchesne River.From the Wikipedia article “Mirror Lake (Uinta Mountains)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mirror Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (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 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:28 AM | 90° E | 7:36 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:53 AM | 58° ENE | 8:59 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:45 AM | 121° ESE | 5:00 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 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 | 7:16 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:28 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:51 PM | 9h 35m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:21 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:27 PM | 10h 40m |
| March | 7:09 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:58 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:17 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:36 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 27m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:34 AM | 8:16 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 04m |
| July | 5:34 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:46 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 49m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 48m |
| September | 6:38 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:02 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:08 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:12 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 56m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:25 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 17m |
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 Mirror Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 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 | 5:41 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:52 AM – 6:02 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:52 AM – 5:02 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:48 AM – 4:08 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 11:04 PM – 3:44 AM | 4.7 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 2:15 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 10:07 PM – 12:17 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 9:08 PM – 10:18 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:16 PM – 8:16 PM | 0.0 | 11° | 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 ≈ 21.62 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 38% average cloud cover) and April as the cloudiest (59%). 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 | 45 | 51 | 62 | 70 | 81 | 88 | 93 | 90 | 85 | 76 | 62 | 49 |
| Low °F | -28 | -35 | -20 | -2 | 2 | 20 | 32 | 28 | 16 | -2 | -15 | -24 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.4 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Mirror Lake, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain PassScenic Viewpoint
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakScenic Viewpoint
WaterfallScenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mirror Lake Guard Station512 m · reservable
- Mirror Lake569 m · reservable
- Moosehorn856 m · reservable
- Butterfly Campground2.5 km (1.6 mi) · reservable
- Lost Creek Campground4.8 km (3.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mirror Lake?
What time is golden hour at Mirror Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mirror Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mirror Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mirror Lake?
How far is Mirror Lake from Kamas?
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.