Saginaw is a city of about 49,347 people in Saginaw County, Michigan, at 177 m (581 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:56 AM and sets at 6:46 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:07 PM – 7:04 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 | 8:06 AM | 8:51 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:57 PM | 9h 19m |
| February | 7:35 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:36 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 7:49 AM | 8:27 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:11 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 6:12 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 41m |
| June | 5:55 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:35 PM | 9:19 PM | 9:55 PM | 15h 24m |
| July | 6:09 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 06m |
| August | 6:42 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:12 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 7:16 AM | 7:54 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:17 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:50 AM | 8:29 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 7:30 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 8:02 AM | 8:49 AM | 4:15 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:34 PM | 8h 59m |
Local time in America/Detroit, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Saginaw
At Saginaw the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) 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 23° in winter.
Best photo spots near Saginaw
17 photo locations lie within 80 km of Saginaw. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
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State ParkLighthouses
Lighthouse
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Lighthouse
LighthouseBotanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
National Wildlife Refuges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Saginaw is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Harrisville State Park, about 146 km (91 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisville State Park | State Park | 146 km (91 mi) | 1 |
| Sturgeon Point Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 153 km (95 mi) | 1 |
| Sturgeon Point Light | Lighthouse | 153 km (95 mi) | 1 |
| Hubbard Lake | Lake | 157 km (98 mi) | 1 |
| Hartwick Pines State Park | State Park | 158 km (98 mi) | 1 |
| Black River Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 162 km (100 mi) | 1 |
| Lake Huron | Lake | 162 km (100 mi) | 1 |
| Negwegon Dune and Swale Complex (Major) | Sand Dunes | 166 km (103 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:28 AM – 6:08 AM | 0.7 | 14° |
| April | 3:23 AM – 5:03 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| May | 1:26 AM – 4:06 AM | 2.7 | 18° |
| June | 11:40 PM – 3:30 AM | 3.8 | 18° |
| July | 11:28 PM – 2:08 AM | 2.7 | 18° |
| August | 10:32 PM – 12:12 AM | 1.7 | 17° |
| September | 9:26 PM – 10:06 PM | 0.7 | 14° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 54% 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.