Soda Lake is a lake in Grant County, Washington at about 305 m (1,001 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Warden, about 15.1 km (9.4 mi) away (Soda Lake lies W of town).
Soda lake is a lake in Grant County, Washington, United States.From the Wikipedia article “Soda Lake (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Soda 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) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:03 AM | 53° NE | 8:56 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:41 AM | 125° SE | 4:11 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 31m |
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 | 7:05 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:28 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:09 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:22 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 03m |
| June | 4:23 AM | 5:02 AM | 5:50 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 52m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:04 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 31m |
| August | 5:22 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:42 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:48 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 23m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:28 AM | 3:18 PM | 4:09 PM | 4:45 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 Soda 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 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 | 5:25 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:18 AM – 4:08 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:25 AM – 2:55 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:50 PM – 2:00 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:25 PM – 12:55 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:11 PM – 10:51 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.55 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 26% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (79%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 64 | 76 | 89 | 99 | 108 | 110 | 109 | 102 | 87 | 70 | 62 |
| Low °F | -3 | 7 | 12 | 27 | 33 | 42 | 49 | 48 | 34 | 19 | 15 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Soda Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Soda Lake?
What time is golden hour at Soda Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Soda Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Soda Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Soda Lake?
How far is Soda Lake from Warden?
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.