Forest Hills is a city of about 25,867 people in Kent County, Michigan, at 192 m (630 ft). Today the sun rises at 8:02 AM and sets at 6:53 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:14 PM – 7:11 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:11 AM | 8:55 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:04 PM | 9h 22m |
| February | 7:41 AM | 8:20 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 7:55 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:17 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:54 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 6:20 AM | 7:01 AM | 8:18 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:31 PM | 14h 39m |
| June | 6:03 AM | 6:46 AM | 8:40 PM | 9:23 PM | 9:59 PM | 15h 20m |
| July | 6:17 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:20 PM | 9:54 PM | 15h 03m |
| August | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:17 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 7:22 AM | 8:00 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:22 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:56 AM | 8:34 AM | 6:22 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 7:35 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 45m |
| December | 8:07 AM | 8:53 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 02m |
Local time in America/Detroit, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Forest Hills
At Forest Hills the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near Forest Hills
27 photo locations lie within 80 km of Forest Hills. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
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State Park
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Lighthouse
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Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseBotanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
Ghost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Forest Hills is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Budd Lake, about 131 km (81 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budd Lake | Lake | 131 km (81 mi) | 2 |
| Udell Lookout Tower | Fire Lookout | 147 km (92 mi) | 2 |
| Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 148 km (92 mi) | 2 |
| Lake Missaukee | Lake | 153 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Lake Michigan | Lake | 155 km (96 mi) | 2 |
| Hodenpyle Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 159 km (99 mi) | 2 |
| Lookout Point | Scenic Viewpoint | 172 km (107 mi) | 2 |
| Marl Lake | Lake | 176 km (109 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:23 AM – 6:13 AM | 0.8 | 14° |
| April | 3:27 AM – 5:07 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| May | 1:29 AM – 4:09 AM | 2.7 | 18° |
| June | 11:41 PM – 3:41 AM | 4.0 | 18° |
| July | 11:30 PM – 2:20 AM | 2.8 | 18° |
| August | 10:35 PM – 12:15 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| September | 9:31 PM – 10:21 PM | 0.8 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 49% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (82%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.