One of the most popular alpine landscape photo spots in Washington is Picture Lake, located next to the Mt. Baker ski area. If the wind and weather conditions are good, you can get great shots of nearby Mt. Shuksan mirrored perfectly in the lake.

I visited Picture Lake for the first time last week with my photography buddy Les, and took this photo. Unfortunately there was a bit of a breeze that afternoon, so the water was rippling and the reflection wasn’t as clear as it could be.  However, it was still a fantastic setting with the fall colors starting to show, and I thoroughly enjoyed photographing the mountain and the lake.

Because of the sun direction, the best time to photograph at this location is in the mid to late afternoon. It is also a very accessible photo spot, as you can drive your car right up near the lake and there is a paved pathway and a boardwalk from which you can take a short walk around the lake and take your photos.