Newport State Park — a dark sky place in Door County, Wisconsin — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 51 km (31 mi) ENE of Menominee. It is certified as an International Dark Sky Park by DarkSky International.
Newport State Park is a 2,373-acre (960 ha) Wisconsin state park at the tip of Door Peninsula near Europe Lake. Protecting 11 miles (18 km) of shoreline on Lake Michigan, Newport is Wisconsin's only wilderness-designated state park. The park is open year-round and can be accessed via WIS 42.From the Wikipedia article “Newport State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Newport State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:52 AM | 90° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:01 AM | 55° NE | 8:40 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 39m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:36 AM | 89° E | 6:47 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 124° ESE | 4:09 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 44m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Certified dark sky places offer protected night skies — plan around the new moon and the Milky Way core season.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:51 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 08m |
| February | 6:20 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:33 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 4:45 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 52m |
| June | 4:23 AM | 5:01 AM | 5:46 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 37m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:15 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 18m |
| August | 5:18 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:29 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:22 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:31 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:35 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:24 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:34 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:32 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:52 PM | 9h 33m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:18 PM | 4:07 PM | 4:41 PM | 8h 46m |
Local time (America/Chicago), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Newport State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:53 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:52 AM – 4:12 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:51 AM – 3:01 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:13 PM – 2:23 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:56 PM – 1:06 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:53 PM – 11:03 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:42 PM – 9:02 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.88 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 61% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (75%). August is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 43 | 42 | 52 | 53 | 63 | 73 | 79 | 79 | 74 | 68 | 59 | 52 |
| Low °F | -4 | -7 | -3 | 16 | 31 | 37 | 49 | 54 | 44 | 35 | 18 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 2.8 | 2.4 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this dark sky place
- Many parks host star parties and night programs during summer.
- Use the Milky Way table to find months and hours when the core is above the horizon.
- Use red light only and keep it pointed down to protect others' night vision.
- Set focus on a bright star with live-view magnification, then tape the focus ring.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Milky Way core season runs roughly March to October; winter offers long nights and bright winter constellations.
Suggested gear: Fast wide lens (f/1.4–f/2.8), Sturdy tripod, Red headlamp, Intervalometer. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Newport State Park, closest first.
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
Sand Dunes
Wilderness Area
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
National Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Newport State Park?
What time is golden hour at Newport State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Newport State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Newport State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Newport State Park?
How far is Newport State Park from Menominee?
Sources
Location data: DarkSky International (via Wikidata), Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.