Angle Lake — a lake in King County, Washington at about 107 m (351 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 2.3 km (1.4 mi) SSE of SeaTac.
Angle Lake is an L-shaped lake in SeaTac, Washington, United States, occupying 102 acres (0.41 km2) between Interstate 5 and State Route 99. The lake most likely was so named on account of its outline, which forms a right angle. Like nearby Lake Burien and Bow Lake, it was formed by the glacial retreat roughly 12,000 years ago. On the western shore is a 10-acre (0.040 km2) park, Angle Lake Park, administered by the City of SeaTac Parks and Recreation department. The remainder of the shoreline is ringed with private homes. The Angle Lake light rail station is named for the lake, and is located to the southwest. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is also home to kokanee, largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and yellow perch. The lake is open to fishing year-round.From the Wikipedia article “Angle Lake (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Angle Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 53° NE | 9:11 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:55 AM | 125° SE | 4:21 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 27m |
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 | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:20 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 06m |
| June | 4:32 AM | 5:12 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 4:50 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:27 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 29m |
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 Angle Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 8 (city sky), 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| April | 3:43 AM – 4:23 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:42 AM – 3:02 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:13 AM – 2:03 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:44 PM – 1:04 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 10:56 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 8 Bortle 8 — City sky. Only bright constellations are visible; the sky glows orange or white. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.26 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 46% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 64 | 63 | 71 | 87 | 90 | 93 | 100 | 91 | 91 | 79 | 71 | 60 |
| Low °F | 13 | 15 | 25 | 29 | 31 | 40 | 46 | 46 | 39 | 28 | 16 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.7 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 4.8 | 7.5 | 6.8 |
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 Angle Lake, closest first.
Ghost Town
Botanical Garden
Lake
State Park
Lake
Ghost Town
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Angle Lake?
What time is golden hour at Angle Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Angle Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Angle Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Angle Lake?
How far is Angle Lake from SeaTac?
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.