Totem Lake — a lake in King County, Washington — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 1.8 km (1.1 mi) S of Kingsgate.
Totem Lake is a two-acre (0.8 ha) lake in the northwest United States, located in Kirkland, Washington, a suburb east of Seattle, at the head of a branch of Juanita Creek, inside the Juanita Creek Basin. A Kirkland neighborhood and retail/residential development are named for the lake. A 17.2-acre (7.0 ha) park completely surrounds the lake, bordered by the Cross Kirkland Corridor linear park and trail. The lake has had other names including Lake Wittenmyer, Lake Watstine, Mudd Lake, and an original Native American name which has been lost.From the Wikipedia article “Totem Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Totem 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 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:11 AM | 53° NE | 9:11 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 00m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:55 AM | 125° SE | 4:20 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 24m |
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 | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:19 PM | 8h 51m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 4:55 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 08m |
| June | 4:30 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:59 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 59m |
| July | 4:48 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 37m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 18m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:53 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 18m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:45 AM | 3:25 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:54 PM | 8h 26m |
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 Totem Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 8 (city sky), 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:44 AM – 4:14 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:45 AM – 3:05 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:19 AM – 1:59 AM | 1.7 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:48 PM – 12:58 AM | 1.2 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:28 PM – 10:58 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 8 Bortle 8 — City sky. Only bright constellations are visible; the sky glows orange or white. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.21 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 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
- 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.
- 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 Totem Lake, closest first.
State Park
State Park
Beach
Lake
Botanical Garden
Lake
Lake
Botanical Garden
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Totem Lake?
What time is golden hour at Totem Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Totem Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Totem Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Totem Lake?
How far is Totem Lake from Kingsgate?
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.