Located in King County, Washington, Lake Sammamish is a lake. The nearest town is Sammamish, about 2.9 km (1.8 mi) away (Lake Sammamish lies SSW of town).
Lake Sammamish (Lushootseed: sc̓ababš) is a freshwater lake 8 miles (13 km) east of Seattle in King County, Washington, United States. The lake is 7 miles (11 km) long and 1.5 miles (2 km) wide, with a maximum depth of 105 feet (32 m) and a surface area of 8 sq mi (21 km2). It lies east of Lake Washington and west of the Sammamish Plateau, and stretches from Issaquah in the south to Redmond in the north. At Issaquah it is fed by Issaquah Creek, and at Redmond it drains to Lake Washington via the Sammamish River, named after the native people who once lived along its entire length. The Sammamish People call this lake sc̓ababš (lit; little lake). The 98 sq mi (250 km2) Lake Sammamish watershed stretches from Redmond through Bellevue, and Issaquah to Preston and Hobart, and consists of numerous creeks which flow into the lake. Issaquah Creek is the largest tributary, furnishing over 70%...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Sammamish”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Sammamish 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) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:11 AM | 53° NE | 9:11 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 59m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:55 AM | 125° SE | 4:20 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 25m |
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 | 3:54 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:19 PM | 8h 52m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 4:55 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 08m |
| June | 4:30 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:59 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 58m |
| July | 4:48 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:13 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 36m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:53 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 19m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:25 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:54 PM | 8h 27m |
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 Sammamish, 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 | 3:42 AM – 4:22 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:41 AM – 3:01 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:12 AM – 2:02 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:43 PM – 1:03 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:25 PM – 10:55 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 ≈ 18.17 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 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
- 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.
- 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 Lake Sammamish, closest first.
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State Park
Botanical Garden
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LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Sammamish?
What time is golden hour at Lake Sammamish?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Sammamish?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Sammamish?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Sammamish?
How far is Lake Sammamish from Sammamish?
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.