Ozette Lake — a lake in Clallam County, Washington — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It lies in or next to Olympic National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. It sits roughly 25 km (15 mi) NW of Forks.
Lake Ozette is the largest unaltered natural lake in Washington state at 29.5 km2 (11.4 sq mi). The Makah name for Lake Ozette was q̓aʔuk meaning "large lake". 8 mi (13 km) long and 3 mi (4.8 km) wide, Lake Ozette is contained within the northern boundary of the Olympic National Park's coastal strip. It is 29 ft (8.8 m) above sea level and is drained by the Ozette River in the north end. Ozette, Washington, lies at the north end of the lake. At 331 feet (101 metres) deep, its bottom lies more than 300 feet (91 metres) below sea level. There are three islands on Lake Ozette: Tivoli, Garden Island, and Baby Island. Tivoli's sandy shore is a kayaking and canoeing destination for overnight tent campers willing to make the long trip down the lake. The Erickson's Bay campground is the only boat in campground in Olympic National Park.From the Wikipedia article “Ozette Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ozette 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 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 52° NE | 9:23 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:07 AM | 126° SE | 4:28 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 21m |
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 | 7:29 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:55 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:28 PM | 8h 48m |
| February | 6:54 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:55 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:38 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:21 PM | 10:02 PM | 16h 02m |
| July | 4:56 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:28 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:55 PM | 15h 40m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:25 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:04 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:31 PM | 7:03 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 16m |
| December | 7:27 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:57 AM | 3:33 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:03 PM | 8h 23m |
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 Ozette Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. June gives the longest window (about 1.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:55 AM – 4:25 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:57 AM – 3:07 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:36 AM – 1:56 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 12:02 AM – 1:02 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:40 PM – 11:00 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.84 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 September as the clearest month (about 60% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (83%). 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 | 56 | 64 | 71 | 81 | 84 | 89 | 86 | 80 | 69 | 59 | 55 |
| Low °F | 13 | 19 | 24 | 31 | 35 | 42 | 46 | 46 | 40 | 31 | 15 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 10.9 | 6.3 | 7.9 | 5.1 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 7.3 | 11.0 | 9.8 |
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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Ozette Lake, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
Natural Arch
Waterfall
Beach
BeachWaterfallWaterfall
BeachFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ozette Lake?
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Can you see the Milky Way from Ozette Lake?
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How far is Ozette Lake from Forks?
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.