Simmons Lake — a lake in Thurston County, Washington — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Olympia, about 4.0 km (2.5 mi) away (Simmons Lake lies WSW of town).
Simmons Lake is a lake in the U.S. state of Washington. The lake has a surface area of 24.5 acres (9.9 ha) and reaches a depth of 12 feet (3.7 m). Simmons Lake was named after Michael T. Simmons, a pioneer citizen. A variant name was "Ken Lake".From the Wikipedia article “Simmons Lake (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Simmons 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) | 7:16 AM | 89° E | 7:25 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) | 7:56 AM | 125° SE | 4:26 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 | 7:20 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:43 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:24 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:48 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 | 6:22 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 04m |
| June | 4:37 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 53m |
| July | 4:54 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 32m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 15m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:12 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:57 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 22m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:24 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 Simmons 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 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | 5:40 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:33 AM – 4:23 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:41 AM – 3:11 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:05 AM – 2:15 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:40 PM – 1:10 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 11:06 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.86 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 46% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 64 | 63 | 71 | 87 | 90 | 93 | 100 | 91 | 91 | 79 | 71 | 60 |
| Low °F | 13 | 15 | 25 | 29 | 31 | 40 | 46 | 46 | 39 | 28 | 16 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.7 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 4.8 | 7.5 | 6.8 |
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.
- 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 Simmons Lake, closest first.
Waterfall
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National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Simmons Lake?
What time is golden hour at Simmons Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Simmons Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Simmons Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Simmons Lake?
How far is Simmons Lake from Olympia?
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.