Budd Lake is a lake in Clare County, Michigan at about 339 m (1,112 ft) above sea level.
Budd Lake is a 175-acre (0.7 km2) lake in Clare County, in the central region of Michigan's lower peninsula. Wilson State Park, a 36-acre wooded area with 160 campsites, borders the lake to the northwest with a sandy beach. In the early 1900s century, several lumber mills operated on the Budd Lake shoreline, and a lumber company that operated in the late 1800s donated Wilson State Park to Michigan. The lake is popular among anglers, particularly for its muskies, some longer than 40 inches, along with bass, panfish, perch and walleye. Dropoffs near the shore provide deep water refuge; the lake is up to 30 feet deep, with the south end being shallower. There is a single public boat ramp at the southern end of the lake.From the Wikipedia article “Budd Lake (Michigan)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Budd Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:43 AM | 90° E | 7:52 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:57 AM | 56° NE | 9:26 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:27 AM | 89° E | 7:39 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:12 AM | 123° ESE | 5:05 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 53m |
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 | 7:39 AM | 8:11 AM | 8:57 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:20 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:39 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:31 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:14 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:27 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 5:41 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:17 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:32 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 5:20 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:40 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:01 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 5:36 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:21 PM | 9:56 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 6:12 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:57 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:34 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 7:04 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:35 AM | 8:08 AM | 8:55 AM | 4:15 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:36 PM | 8h 55m |
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 Budd Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:32 AM – 6:12 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:28 AM – 5:08 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:33 AM – 4:03 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:49 PM – 3:29 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:35 PM – 2:05 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:37 PM – 12:07 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:30 PM – 10:00 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.75 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 51 | 63 | 81 | 81 | 89 | 95 | 97 | 95 | 92 | 88 | 71 | 61 |
| Low °F | -20 | -23 | -15 | -1 | 24 | 33 | 40 | 40 | 32 | 22 | 8 | -10 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 2.3 |
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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Budd Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Budd Lake?
What time is golden hour at Budd Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Budd Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Budd Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Budd Lake?
How far is Budd Lake from Harrison?
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.