Pattison Lake — a lake in Thurston County, Washington — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Lacey, about 5.5 km (3.4 mi) away (Pattison Lake lies SE of town).
Pattison Lake is a lake in the U.S. state of Washington. The lake has a surface area of 257 acres (104 ha), and reaches a depth of 20 feet (6.1 m). The lake was named after James Pattison, a pioneer settler. In June 2025, toxic algae was reported at the lake, prompting Thurston County to issue a public advisory to avoid swimming there. Samples collected from the lake detected Microcystins levels above state recreation guidelines. The advisory ended on July 16 after two satisfactory samples.From the Wikipedia article “Pattison Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pattison 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 | 6:55 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 | 5:01 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 04m |
| June | 4:37 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 | 9:41 PM | 15h 31m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 14m |
| 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 56m |
| 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 | 3:32 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 Pattison 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 6 (bright 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 | — | -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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.45 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 48% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 60 | 59 | 70 | 84 | 90 | 95 | 101 | 98 | 95 | 83 | 65 | 57 |
| Low °F | 4 | 5 | 16 | 22 | 29 | 37 | 41 | 42 | 30 | 22 | 6 | 3 |
| Precip. (in) | 9.6 | 6.8 | 7.5 | 5.4 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 6.6 | 10.1 | 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Pattison Lake, closest first.
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Lake
Lake
Lake
Lake
Lake
National Wildlife Refuge
Waterfall
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pattison Lake?
What time is golden hour at Pattison Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pattison Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pattison Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pattison Lake?
How far is Pattison Lake from Lacey?
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.