Moses Lake — a lake in Grant County, Washington — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Cascade Valley, about 1.0 km (0.6 mi) away (Moses Lake lies W of town).
Moses Lake is a lake and reservoir along the course of Crab Creek, in the U.S. state of Washington. Moses Lake is part of the Columbia River basin, as Crab Creek is a tributary of the Columbia River. Although originally a shallow natural lake, Moses Lake was dammed in the early 20th century for irrigation purposes. It then became part of the Columbia Basin Project, built and managed by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. Moses Lake receives water from Crab Creek, as well as from irrigated agricultural runoff. Its water used to flow out into Crab Creek, but now flows into Potholes Reservoir, a storage reservoir created by impounding Crab Creek at O'Sullivan Dam. Moses Lake is fairly complex in shape, with several arms, called "horns". These horns include Lewis Horn, Parker Horn, and Pelican Horn. There are several islands in Moses Lake, including Crest Island, Marsh Island,...From the Wikipedia article “Moses Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Moses 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) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:02 AM | 53° NE | 8:57 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:42 AM | 125° SE | 4:11 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 29m |
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 | 7:06 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:29 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:09 PM | 8h 55m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 4:46 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:03 PM | 15h 04m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 5:02 AM | 5:50 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 54m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 33m |
| August | 5:22 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 15m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:42 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:49 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 22m |
| December | 7:02 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:30 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:09 PM | 4:44 PM | 8h 31m |
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 Moses Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.0 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 5 (suburban sky), 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | 5:25 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:20 AM – 4:10 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:28 AM – 2:58 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:55 PM – 1:55 AM | 2.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:29 PM – 12:49 AM | 1.3 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:13 PM – 10:53 PM | 0.7 | 12° | 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.14 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 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
- 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.
- 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 Moses Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Moses Lake?
What time is golden hour at Moses Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Moses Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Moses Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Moses Lake?
How far is Moses Lake from Cascade Valley?
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.