Located in Thurston County, Washington, Long Lake is a lake. It sits roughly 3.6 km (2.2 mi) S of Tanglewilde-Thompson Place.
Long Lake is a freshwater lake located in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It is located approximately 5.5 miles (8.9 km) east of Olympia. It consists of two basins connected by a narrow neck. It is two miles (3.2 km) long and has two islands, Holmes Island (13 acres / 5.3 ha) and Kirby Island (2.4 acres / 1 ha). Long Lake is fed by Pattison Lake and drains via Himes/Woodland Creek and Lois Lake to Henderson Inlet. Long Lake was given its descriptive name in 1853.From the Wikipedia article “Long Lake (Thurston County, Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Long 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 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:15 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 53° NE | 9:11 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:55 AM | 125° SE | 4:25 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 30m |
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 | 7:53 AM | 8:42 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:23 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 6:45 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:19 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 5:00 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 04m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 52m |
| July | 4:54 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 32m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 15m |
| September | 6:19 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:25 PM | 6:56 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 22m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:59 PM | 8h 32m |
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 Long Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.2 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 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 | 5:39 AM – 5:39 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:32 AM – 4:22 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:40 AM – 3:10 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:04 AM – 2:14 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:39 PM – 1:09 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:25 PM – 11:05 PM | 0.7 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 18.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Long Lake, closest first.
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National Wildlife Refuge
Waterfall
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Long Lake?
What time is golden hour at Long Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Long Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Long Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Long Lake?
How far is Long Lake from Tanglewilde-Thompson Place?
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.