Spirit Lake is a lake in Skamania County, Washington at about 1,040 m (3,412 ft) above sea level. It is part of Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. It sits roughly 34 km (21 mi) SSE of Morton.
Spirit Lake is a lake in Skamania County, Washington, United States, located north of Mount St. Helens. It was a popular tourist destination for many years until Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. Previously there had been six camps on the shore of Spirit Lake: Boy Scout (Camp Spirit Lake), the Girl Scout Camp at Spirit Lake, two YMCA camps (Camp Loowit, and Portland YMCA camp), Harmony Fall Lodge, and another for the general public. There were also several lodges accessible to visitors, including Spirit Lake Lodge and Mt. St. Helens Lodge. The latter was owned and operated by Harry R. Truman, a noted victim of the volcano's 1980 eruption.From the Wikipedia article “Spirit Lake (Washington)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Spirit 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) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 54° NE | 9:05 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 47m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:49 AM | 124° SE | 4:26 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 | 7:14 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:36 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 01m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 33m |
| May | 5:01 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 59m |
| June | 4:38 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:03 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 46m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 26m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:52 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:56 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:36 AM | 3:33 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:58 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 Spirit 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 | 5:25 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:27 AM – 4:27 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:21 AM – 3:11 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:48 PM – 2:28 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:28 PM – 1:18 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:19 PM – 11:09 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:06 PM – 9:16 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 ≈ 21.5 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
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Spirit Lake, closest first.
Waterfall
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Marble Mountain Group Picnic Site16.1 km (10.0 mi) · reservable
- Kalama Horse Camp21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Iron Creek Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Lower Falls Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Lewis River Hc (Wa) Gifford Pinchot Nf24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Spirit Lake?
What time is golden hour at Spirit Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Spirit Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Spirit Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Spirit Lake?
How far is Spirit Lake from Morton?
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.