Cache Creek Wilderness — a wilderness area in Lake County, California — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 9.1 km (5.7 mi) E of Lower Lake.
The Cache Creek Wilderness is a 27,245-acre (11,026 ha) wilderness area located in Lake County, California. The wilderness was added to the National Wilderness Preservation System when the United States Congress passed the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act in 2006 (Public Law 109-362). In July 2015, the area became part of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. The Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is the agency in charge. The centerpiece of the wilderness is Cache Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River (in high rainfall years). Cache Creek is one of two tributaries (Putah Creek is the other) that are the most southerly of the significant east-flowing Coast Range drainages in the Sacramento River hydrologic basin and provides important riparian and fish habitat. More than 30 miles (48 km) of Cache Creek is designated a...From the Wikipedia article “Cache Creek Wilderness”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cache Creek Wilderness the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:46 AM | 59° ENE | 8:40 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 120° ESE | 4:52 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 26m |
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
Wilderness areas reward those who camp: being on location at sunrise and in the dark is the main advantage over day visitors.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:59 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 44m |
| February | 6:35 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:28 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 18m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 53m |
| July | 5:26 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 38m |
| August | 5:56 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:26 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:33 PM | 7:00 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:18 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:26 PM | 10h 04m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 27m |
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 Cache Creek Wilderness, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:17 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:26 AM – 5:46 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 4:52 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:24 AM – 4:04 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:37 PM – 3:37 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:30 PM – 2:20 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 12:16 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:51 PM – 10:11 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:01 PM – 8:11 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.04 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 19% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (57%). 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 | 73 | 75 | 76 | 87 | 100 | 106 | 109 | 107 | 112 | 103 | 87 | 71 |
| Low °F | 25 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 35 | 42 | 48 | 48 | 45 | 37 | 27 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 6.2 |
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 wilderness area
- Night skies are often among the darkest in the country.
- Motorized and mechanized equipment, including drones, is prohibited in designated wilderness.
- Group size limits and permits may apply; check with the managing agency.
- Practice Leave No Trace — camp on durable surfaces away from lakes and streams.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Most high wilderness is snow-free from July to September; lower deserts are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Lightweight tripod, Spare batteries, Headlamp, Navigation. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Cache Creek Wilderness, closest first.
Waterfall
State Park
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
State Park
Mountain Peak
State Park
Natural ArchFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cache Creek Wilderness?
What time is golden hour at Cache Creek Wilderness?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cache Creek Wilderness?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cache Creek Wilderness?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cache Creek Wilderness?
How far is Cache Creek Wilderness from Lower Lake?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.