Osoyoos Lake is a lake in Okanogan County, Washington at about 279 m (915 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 6.9 km (4.3 mi) N of Oroville.
Osoyoos Lake is a lake located in British Columbia, Canada, and Washington, United States. Osoyoos is derived from the word sẁiẁs meaning "narrowing of the waters" in the local Okanagan language (Syilx'tsn). Located on the lakeshore are the town of Osoyoos, British Columbia and city of Oroville, Washington. The lake's maximum elevation is 912.78 ft (278.22 m), while its minimum elevation is 909.46 ft (277.20 m). The 62-year average discharge into the Okanogan River at Oroville is 683 cu ft/s (19.3 m3/s). Maximum discharge in 2004 was 1,340 cu ft/s (38 m3/s). Oroville's Osoyoos Lake State Park is located on its shore.From the Wikipedia article “Osoyoos Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Osoyoos Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 309° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 64° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:54 AM | 52° NE | 9:06 PM | 309° NW | 64° | 16h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:50 AM | 126° SE | 4:03 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 13m |
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 | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:04 PM | 8h 41m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 11m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:21 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 43m |
| May | 4:38 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 17m |
| June | 4:11 AM | 4:54 AM | 5:44 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:47 PM | 16h 11m |
| July | 4:30 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:59 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 48m |
| August | 5:16 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 24m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:47 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:41 PM | 10h 50m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:58 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 10m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:06 PM | 4:02 PM | 4:39 PM | 8h 15m |
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 Osoyoos Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 12° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky 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 | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| April | 3:49 AM – 3:59 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:58 AM – 2:38 AM | 0.7 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:48 PM – 2:18 AM | 2.5 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:59 PM – 12:29 AM | 0.5 | 11° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 10:26 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 44% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 39 | 48 | 57 | 73 | 82 | 91 | 93 | 95 | 87 | 76 | 51 | 40 |
| Low °F | -35 | -22 | -16 | 7 | 22 | 28 | 33 | 35 | 22 | 4 | -23 | -29 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Osoyoos Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Osoyoos Lake?
What time is golden hour at Osoyoos Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Osoyoos Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Osoyoos Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Osoyoos Lake?
How far is Osoyoos Lake from Oroville?
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.