Lake Kapowsin is a lake in Pierce County, Washington at about 178 m (584 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Graham, about 9.9 km (6.2 mi) away (Lake Kapowsin lies SE of town).
Lake Kapowsin is a lake in Pierce County, Washington, about halfway between Tacoma on Puget Sound, and Mount Rainier in the Cascade Mountains. The lake is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long and 0.15–0.5 miles (0.24–0.80 km) wide, lying in a channel formed by meltwater from the Puget lobe of the Vashon glacier during the Pleistocene glaciation. A small island, Jaybird Island, lies in the northern half of the lake. As indicated by a drowned forest in the lake and other evidence, the Puyallup River was inundated about 550 years ago by a lahar from Mount Rainier called the Electron Mudflow. The mudflow partially filled the channel (leading to its shallow, smooth bottom today) and blocked Ohop Creek's outlet, forming present-day Lake Kapowsin. The Tacoma Rail shortline runs along the west side of the lake, as does Orville Road connecting Eatonville to the south with the town of Kapowsin. The lake...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Kapowsin”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Kapowsin 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 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:15 AM | 53° NE | 9:08 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:53 AM | 125° SE | 4:23 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 30m |
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 | 7:17 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:21 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 4:58 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 03m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:14 AM | 6:02 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 52m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:16 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 31m |
| August | 5:34 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 23m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:56 PM | 8h 32m |
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 Lake Kapowsin, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.2 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 5 (suburban 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:37 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:30 AM – 4:20 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:37 AM – 3:07 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:02 AM – 2:12 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:37 PM – 1:07 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 11:03 PM | 0.7 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.24 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 48% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 60 | 59 | 70 | 84 | 90 | 95 | 101 | 98 | 95 | 83 | 65 | 57 |
| Low °F | 4 | 5 | 16 | 22 | 29 | 37 | 41 | 42 | 30 | 22 | 6 | 3 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.6 | 6.8 | 7.5 | 5.4 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 6.6 | 10.1 | 9.8 |
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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Lake Kapowsin, closest first.
Lake
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Kapowsin?
What time is golden hour at Lake Kapowsin?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Kapowsin?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Kapowsin?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Kapowsin?
How far is Lake Kapowsin from Graham?
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.