Takhlakh Lake is a lake in Skamania County, Washington at about 1,338 m (4,390 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 64 km (40 mi) N of Hood River.
Takhlakh Lake is a lake situated 7.3 miles (11.7 km) northwest of Mount Adams in the U.S. state of Washington. It is fed by a few small unnamed inflow creeks originating near Takh Takh Meadows, tributary to the Cispus River. A popular 53-site campground on the west side of the lake brings summer and early fall campers as well as hikers hiking the Takhlakh Loop Trail and the Takh Takh Meadows Trail, and nearby trails in the Mount Adams Wilderness. A day use area offers a picnic area and provides a boat ramp as well. The lake is one of the five lakes, all within a seven-mile radius, in the Midway High Lakes Area. It is managed by the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.From the Wikipedia article “Takhlakh Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Takhlakh 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) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:15 AM | 54° NE | 9:03 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:47 AM | 124° SE | 4:23 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 | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:34 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 01m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 34m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 59m |
| June | 4:36 AM | 5:15 AM | 6:01 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 46m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 26m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:52 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:34 AM | 3:31 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:56 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 Takhlakh 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 | 5:22 AM – 5:32 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:24 AM – 4:24 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:18 AM – 3:08 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:45 PM – 2:25 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:25 PM – 1:15 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:16 PM – 11:06 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 9:13 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 ≈ 21.61 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 29% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 55 | 54 | 64 | 73 | 82 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 92 | 81 | 59 | 47 |
| Low °F | -12 | -9 | 0 | 14 | 24 | 30 | 34 | 37 | 27 | 14 | -11 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.2 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 3.9 | 6.1 | 6.7 |
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 Takhlakh Lake, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Lake
Waterfall
LakeWaterfall
National ForestWaterfall
Wilderness Area
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Takhlakh Lake Campground 431 m · reservable
- Adams Fork Campground7.9 km (4.9 mi) · reservable
- Blue Lake Creek Campground - Gifford Pinchot Nf (Wa)17.7 km (11.0 mi) · reservable
- Walupt Lake Campground18.7 km (11.6 mi) · reservable
- Lewis River Hc (Wa) Gifford Pinchot Nf22 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Takhlakh Lake?
What time is golden hour at Takhlakh Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Takhlakh Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Takhlakh Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Takhlakh Lake?
How far is Takhlakh Lake from Hood River?
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.