Silver Lake — a lake in Cowlitz County, Washington at about 149 m (489 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 9.8 km (6.1 mi) ENE of Castle Rock.
Silver Lake, sometimes Silverlake, is an unincorporated community in Cowlitz County, Washington, in the southwestern portion of the state. Silver Lake is located 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Castle Rock along Washington State Route 504, which is also known as the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway. The area considered Silverlake is about 6 miles (10 km) east of Interstate 5 (I-5) and is approximately 50 miles (80 km) from Portland, Oregon, to the south and Seattle about 110 miles (180 km) to the north. The closest cities to the subject property are Castle Rock, six miles (10 km) to the west, and Toutle, four miles (6 km) east.From the Wikipedia article “Silver Lake, Washington”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Silver Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° 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 | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 54° NE | 9:08 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:52 AM | 124° SE | 4:28 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 36m |
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 | 7:17 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:39 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 01m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 34m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 59m |
| June | 4:40 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:06 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 46m |
| July | 4:57 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:20 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 26m |
| August | 5:38 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:56 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:26 PM | 5:01 PM | 8h 38m |
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 Silver Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:27 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:29 AM – 4:29 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:23 AM – 3:13 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:50 PM – 2:30 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:30 PM – 1:20 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:21 PM – 11:11 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:08 PM – 9:18 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.25 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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
- 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 Silver Lake, closest first.
State Park
Waterfall
Lake
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Silver Lake?
What time is golden hour at Silver Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Silver Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Silver Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Silver Lake?
How far is Silver Lake from Castle Rock?
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.