Mason Lake — a lake in King County, Washington at about 1,297 m (4,255 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The nearest town is Riverbend, about 15.7 km (9.8 mi) away (Mason Lake lies ESE of town).
Mason Lake is a naturally occurring mountain lake located between Mount Defiance and Bandera Mountain near Snoqualmie Pass, King County, Washington. Accessible only by hike via the 3.4-mile-long (5.5 km) Mason Lake Trail (also known as "Ira Spring Memorial Trail"), splits to Mount Defiance trail while continuing past the Island Lakes towards Pratt Lake trail at Olallie Lake's north shore. Mason Lake is at an elevation of 4,200 feet (1,300 m)t.From the Wikipedia article “Mason Lake (King County)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mason 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) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 53° NE | 9:08 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 57m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:52 AM | 125° SE | 4:19 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 27m |
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 | 7:15 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:17 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 06m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:58 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 4:47 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 16m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:52 PM | 8h 29m |
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 Mason 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), 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 | — | 10° | — |
| April | 3:40 AM – 4:20 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:39 AM – 2:59 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:10 AM – 2:00 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:41 PM – 1:01 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 10:53 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.93 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 36% average cloud cover) and January 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 | 53 | 49 | 59 | 71 | 78 | 92 | 92 | 91 | 89 | 72 | 57 | 46 |
| Low °F | -16 | -11 | -4 | 6 | 20 | 28 | 36 | 35 | 27 | 5 | -10 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.9 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 10.3 | 9.6 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mason Lake, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
Mountain Peak
Lake
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfall
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Tinkham Campground2.7 km (1.6 mi) · reservable
- Denny Creek Campground8.3 km (5.2 mi) · reservable
- Middle Fork Campground13.9 km (8.6 mi) · reservable
- Kachess24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- East Kachess Group Site27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mason Lake?
What time is golden hour at Mason Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mason Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mason Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mason Lake?
How far is Mason Lake from Riverbend?
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.