Located in Cowlitz County, Washington, Lake Sacajawea (Longview, Washington) is a lake. It sits roughly 1.1 km (0.7 mi) WSW of Longview.
Lake Sacajawea is a man-made lake in Longview, Washington. It is named after the Shoshone woman named Sacajawea who guided Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during their expedition to the Pacific Ocean. The lake is made up of four sections, each separated by a bridged road. Several small parks are part of the larger Lake Sacajawea Park. Lake Sacajawea Park is a 67-acre (27 ha) park in the middle of the city. The lake's water is pumped into the north end from the Cowlitz River and flows to the south end where it exits into the Columbia River.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Sacajawea (Longview, Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Sacajawea (Longview, Washington) the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:16 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:21 AM | 54° NE | 9:08 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 46m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:52 AM | 124° SE | 4:29 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 37m |
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 | 8:39 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 02m |
| February | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 33m |
| May | 5:05 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 58m |
| June | 4:42 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 45m |
| July | 4:59 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 25m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:57 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 39m |
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 Sacajawea (Longview, Washington), the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | 5:28 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:30 AM – 4:30 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:24 AM – 3:14 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:51 PM – 2:31 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:31 PM – 1:21 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:22 PM – 11:12 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:09 PM – 9:19 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.75 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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
- 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.
- 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 Lake Sacajawea (Longview, Washington), closest first.
Waterfall
Waterfall
State ParkWaterfall
LakeFAQ
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Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Sacajawea (Longview, Washington)?
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Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Sacajawea (Longview, Washington)?
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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.