Located in Grant County, Washington, Lenore Lake is a lake at about 329 m (1,079 ft) above sea level. It is part of Sun Lakes Wildlife Area. The nearest town is Soap Lake, about 12.5 km (7.8 mi) away (Lenore Lake lies N of town).
Lake Lenore, also known as Lenore Lake, is located in Grant County, Washington, United States. It is a 1,670 acres (680 ha) lake formed by the Missoula Floods in the lower Coulee just north of the town of Soap Lake, Washington. It is situated between Alkali Lake to the north and Soap Lake to the south. The lake is rather narrow, but long. The length of the lake runs north–south alongside State Route 17 leading from near the city of Soap Lake to Coulee City. The lake also consists of more than 7 islands. Lenore Canyon is a coulee associated with the development of the Scablands. One of the interesting areas around Lake Lenore is the Lenore Caves. Located at the northern end of the lake, the Lenore Caves are a series of overhangs along the cliffs at the lake. They exist in one of the largest volcanic regions on Earth.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Lenore (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lenore Lake 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) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:02 AM | 53° NE | 9:00 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 125° SE | 4:10 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 26m |
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 | 7:07 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:32 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:09 PM | 8h 52m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:20 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:45 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 4:21 AM | 5:01 AM | 5:49 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 57m |
| July | 4:38 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 5:21 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:43 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:16 PM | 4:08 PM | 4:44 PM | 8h 28m |
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 Lenore Lake, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| 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 | 3:32 AM – 4:12 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:31 AM – 2:51 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:02 AM – 1:52 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:33 PM – 12:53 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:15 PM – 10:45 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.74 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 27% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (78%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 53 | 58 | 71 | 84 | 94 | 103 | 105 | 103 | 96 | 84 | 67 | 52 |
| Low °F | -12 | -1 | 5 | 23 | 29 | 37 | 45 | 45 | 33 | 19 | 2 | -3 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
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.
- 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 Lenore Lake, closest first.
State Park
Ghost Town
State Park
Waterfall
WaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lenore Lake?
What time is golden hour at Lenore Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lenore Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lenore Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lenore Lake?
How far is Lenore Lake from Soap Lake?
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.