"Sunset Reflections at Miner's Point"
By: Micheal Lee (Janesville, CA)
The Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the US is in La Niña conditions as I write this in December 2025. As a result, here in northeastern California conditions have been dry and mild, even at 4000 feet above sea level. There have also been some incredible sunsets that I keep seeing after the fact when OTHER folks photograph them. On December 5, I decided to try to do something about that and drove up to Miner’s Point on the eastern shore of Eagle Lake in Lassen County. The amount of high clouds looked very promising upon my arrival (high clouds best reflect the sun as it dips over the horizon). Ultimately, I got a few images I like, although not necessarily what I was expecting as those clouds moved around a fair bit. This image is one of the first I shot just after the sun had dipped below the western ridgeline. This part of the lake is quite shallow (especially as low as the water has been the last few years) and I like to see what kind of compositions I can find among the rocks on the shoreline. When the winds are calm and there isn’t much boat traffic stirring things up it can be a very serene place to just stand and breathe for a bit (although on this evening there was a solitary lesser yellowlegs constantly voicing its displeasure at my presence). Eagle Lake sits at a surface elevation of just over 5,000 feet above sea level and remains one of the largest natural lakes in California, with a catchment area of more than 21,500 acres. Known for its unique strain of Eagle Lake rainbow trout, it draws anglers from far and wide, and the surrounding habitat supports an array of waterfowl along with raptors such as bald eagles and osprey. I’ve long thought of this as my “home” lake, having spent countless hours here—sometimes fishing with my son or friends, and other times simply soaking in the solitude. On this early December evening, as the sun slipped behind the western ridge and the high clouds shifted across the sky, I enjoyed that same sense of quiet connection while capturing this image along the shallow shoreline at Miner’s Point.
Camera Information: Canon 6DII - Canon 24-105_F4L
Image Location: Susanville California
Category: Scenic Wild Landscapes
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