Oak Park is a city of about 29,752 people in Oakland County, Michigan, at 203 m (666 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:52 AM and sets at 6:44 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:06 PM – 7:02 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 | 8:00 AM | 8:44 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 25m |
| February | 7:30 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:34 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 7:46 AM | 8:23 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 6:12 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 36m |
| June | 5:56 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:30 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:47 PM | 15h 17m |
| July | 6:09 AM | 6:51 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 00m |
| August | 6:40 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:06 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 7:13 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:13 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:46 AM | 8:24 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 7:25 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 7:56 AM | 8:42 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 05m |
Local time in America/Detroit, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Oak Park
At Oak Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near Oak Park
27 photo locations lie within 80 km of Oak Park. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
Lakes
Lighthouses
Lighthouse
LighthouseBotanical Gardens
National Wildlife Refuges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Oak Park is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Harbor Beach Light, about 160 km (100 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor Beach Light | Lighthouse | 160 km (100 mi) | 2 |
| Sand Point Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 162 km (100 mi) | 2 |
| Caseville Harbor Light | Lighthouse | 165 km (103 mi) | 2 |
| Sleeper State Park Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 168 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Port Crescent Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 171 km (106 mi) | 2 |
| Port Crescent State Park | State Park | 172 km (107 mi) | 2 |
| Oscube Point Dune and Swale Complex (Minor) | Sand Dunes | 175 km (109 mi) | 2 |
| Gravelly Shoal Light | Lighthouse | 176 km (109 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:14 AM – 6:04 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 3:06 AM – 5:06 AM | 2.0 | 18° |
| May | 1:17 AM – 4:07 AM | 2.8 | 19° |
| June | 11:28 PM – 3:38 AM | 4.2 | 19° |
| July | 11:17 PM – 2:17 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| August | 10:24 PM – 12:14 AM | 1.8 | 18° |
| September | 9:21 PM – 10:11 PM | 0.8 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 49% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (79%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.