Lake Shannon is a lake in Skagit County, Washington. The nearest town is Darrington, about 34 km (21 mi) away (Lake Shannon lies NNW of town).
Lake Shannon is a long, narrow reservoir on the Baker River in Skagit County, Washington in the United States. Formed in the 1920s by the construction of an arch dam just above the town of Concrete, the lake is approximately 7.5 miles (12 km) long and averages 0.6 miles (1 km) wide when full. Located just outside the western boundary of North Cascades National Park, Lake Shannon serves as the lower reservoir for Puget Sound Energy's Baker River Hydroelectric Project. Before the creation of Lake Shannon, the area was used primarily for fur trapping, logging, and concrete making. The construction of Lower Baker Dam blocked salmon migration in the Baker River. An artificial fish passage system was begun in the 1950s and completed in 1959 after the construction of Upper Baker Dam, located upstream of Lake Shannon. The lake has abundant landlocked kokanee salmon, the by-product of salmon...From the Wikipedia article “Lake Shannon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Shannon the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 89° E | 7:20 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:06 AM | 52° NE | 9:13 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 08m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:57 AM | 126° SE | 4:15 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 17m |
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 | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:46 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:15 PM | 8h 45m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:29 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 13m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 14m |
| June | 4:23 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:55 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:53 PM | 16h 06m |
| July | 4:42 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 44m |
| August | 5:27 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 22m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 13m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:48 AM | 3:18 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:50 PM | 8h 19m |
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 Shannon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:56 AM – 4:16 AM | 0.3 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:51 AM – 2:51 AM | 1.0 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:45 AM – 1:25 AM | 0.7 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 11:58 PM – 12:38 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:31 PM – 10:41 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.55 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 42% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 47 | 50 | 56 | 68 | 77 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 86 | 76 | 55 | 41 |
| Low °F | -20 | -17 | -12 | 1 | 16 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 24 | -2 | -17 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.5 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 7.2 | 10.7 | 9.1 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Shannon, closest first.
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
State Park
Wilderness Area
Fire Lookout
Mountain Peak
Lake
Glacier
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Horseshoe Cove Campground14.6 km (9.1 mi) · reservable
- Bayview Campground (Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Wa)15.0 km (9.3 mi) · reservable
- Boulder Creek Campground19.0 km (11.8 mi) · reservable
- Panorama Point Campground20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Swift Creek Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Shannon?
What time is golden hour at Lake Shannon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Shannon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Shannon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Shannon?
How far is Lake Shannon from Darrington?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.