Lake Wenatchee — a lake in Chelan County, Washington at about 571 m (1,873 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Leavenworth, about 27 km (17 mi) away (Lake Wenatchee lies NNW of town).
Lake Wenatchee is a glacier- and snowmelt-fed lake situated in the Wenatchee National Forest on the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountain Range in the state of Washington. Lake Wenatchee covers 2,480 acres (1,000 ha) and reaches a depth of 244 feet (74 m). Lake Wenatchee is the source of the Wenatchee River. Its main tributaries are the White River and the Little Wenatchee River. At its eastern end, the lake is breasted by Lake Wenatchee State Park. Lake Wenatchee State Airport, an unimproved grass and dirt landing strip, is adjacent to the north side of the state park.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Wenatchee”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Wenatchee 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 308° (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) | 7:07 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:05 AM | 53° NE | 9:06 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:51 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:50 AM | 125° SE | 4:14 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 24m |
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 | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:38 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:13 PM | 8h 50m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 16m |
| March | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 09m |
| June | 4:24 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:53 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:45 PM | 16h 00m |
| July | 4:42 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 38m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 18m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:47 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:58 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 18m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:19 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:48 PM | 8h 25m |
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 Wenatchee, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.7 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:38 AM – 4:08 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:39 AM – 2:59 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:13 AM – 1:53 AM | 1.7 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:42 PM – 12:52 AM | 1.2 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:22 PM – 10:52 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.64 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 36% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (76%). July 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 | 51 | 51 | 64 | 75 | 86 | 95 | 93 | 94 | 90 | 78 | 60 | 45 |
| Low °F | -11 | -4 | -1 | 16 | 22 | 31 | 37 | 39 | 28 | 12 | -6 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
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
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Wenatchee, closest first.
State Park
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
Fire LookoutWaterfallFire LookoutWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Nason Creek Campground5.2 km (3.3 mi) · reservable
- Grouse Creek Group Site10.1 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Rock Creek Campground16.4 km (10.2 mi) · reservable
- Tumwater Group Site16.4 km (10.2 mi)
- Nineteen Mile Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Wenatchee?
What time is golden hour at Lake Wenatchee?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Wenatchee?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Wenatchee?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Wenatchee?
How far is Lake Wenatchee from Leavenworth?
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.