Stanley Lake Reflection at Dawn

Horizontal orientation. Canvas prints are available with optional barnwood or hardwood floating frames hand-crafted by the photographer, making a truly unique and one-of-a-kind piece of art. Please see images for details.

Stanley Lake at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains is one of Idaho’s most popular recreation destinations. Besides being a popular place for camping and fishing, it is a photographer’s dream! The view of McGowan Peak is phenomenal, and when the lake is calm the reflection is outstanding. I decided to make a trip to see the sunrise in early June 2026 and left Twin Falls at 3:00am to be at the lake before 6:00. I was delayed by a ridiculous number of deer crossing the highway that morning, one of which jumped out of the ditch right in front of me and I couldn’t avoid it. Luckily the damage was minor, and I was able to continue, but I missed some of the beautiful sunrise, catching just the tail end of the pink color in the clouds. The lake was as calm as could be however, and the reflection was astounding! I spent half an hour taking shoreline photos before heading to the trailhead that I wanted to hike that day. With all the stress that morning I forgot that I had intended to find a meadow near the area that I have seen photos of with Camas lilies blooming. I hope to return and find this at some point, and I definitely will be returning for more lake and reflection photos!