Blue Lake is a lake in Alger County, Michigan at about 232 m (761 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Munising, about 27 km (17 mi) away (Blue Lake lies S of town).
Blue Lake is a 31-acre (13 ha) lake with a marshy shoreline that is located in southern Alger County, Michigan in the middle of the Hiawatha National Forest. It is located about a mile north of the intersection of Federal Forest Highway 13 and Delta County Road 440 and just north of the county line with Delta County and just west of the county line with Schoolcraft County. The only lodging on the lake and for several miles are the cabins of the Hiawatha Resort situated near the Midway General Store. Some of the wildlife living near the lake include beaver, otter, mink, sandhill cranes, muskrat, geese, herons, and ducks. The national forest offers many game animals including black bear, white-tailed deer, woodcock, and grouse. Other nearby lakes include Hugaboom Lake, Mowe Lake, Corner-Straits Chain of lakes, Ironjaw Lake, and Round Lake.From the Wikipedia article “Blue Lake (Michigan)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Blue Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:51 AM | 90° E | 7:59 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:56 AM | 54° NE | 9:42 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 47m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:34 AM | 89° E | 7:46 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:27 AM | 124° SE | 5:04 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 37m |
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
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:52 AM | 8:26 AM | 9:14 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:27 PM | 6:01 PM | 9h 02m |
| February | 7:20 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:33 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 7:30 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:40 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:22 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:29 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:05 PM | 13h 33m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:58 AM | 8:29 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:48 PM | 14h 58m |
| June | 5:17 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:54 PM | 9:40 PM | 10:19 PM | 15h 45m |
| July | 5:33 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:51 PM | 9:36 PM | 10:13 PM | 15h 25m |
| August | 6:14 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:16 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:30 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:05 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:34 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:45 AM | 6:21 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:32 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 7:16 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:48 PM | 9h 28m |
| December | 7:48 AM | 8:23 AM | 9:14 AM | 4:12 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:37 PM | 8h 39m |
Local time (America/Detroit), 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 Blue Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 6:03 AM – 6:13 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 4:05 AM – 5:05 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:59 AM – 3:49 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:26 AM – 3:06 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:06 AM – 1:56 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:57 PM – 11:47 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:44 PM – 9:54 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ 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 68% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 40 | 45 | 67 | 69 | 80 | 82 | 90 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 63 | 53 |
| Low °F | -12 | -17 | -12 | 10 | 28 | 33 | 41 | 45 | 35 | 25 | 8 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 3.1 | 3.0 |
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 lake
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- For mirror reflections, get low and close to the water; the reflection grows with a lower camera.
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, Wide-angle lens, Waterproof boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Blue Lake, closest first.
National Forest
Waterfall
WaterfallState ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Tom'S Lake Cabin3.3 km (2.0 mi) · reservable
- Swan Lake Campsites4.6 km (2.9 mi) · reservable
- Mowe Lake Campsites4.8 km (3.0 mi) · reservable
- Widewaters Campground5.9 km (3.7 mi) · reservable
- Mckeever Cabin6.1 km (3.8 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Blue Lake?
What time is golden hour at Blue Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Blue Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Blue Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Blue Lake?
How far is Blue Lake from Munising?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.