Cass Lake is a lake in Oakland County, Michigan at about 283 m (928 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Keego Harbor, about 1.8 km (1.1 mi) away (Cass Lake lies W of town).
Cass Lake is on the main branch of the Clinton River. Upstream from Cass Lake is 243-acre (98 ha) Loon Lake. Cass Lake also connects with 363-acre (147 ha) Elizabeth Lake & the small Dow Lake, in Dow Ridge. Downstream from Cass Lake is the 532-acre (215 ha) Sylvan Lake. Cass Lake is the largest and deepest lake in Oakland County, and is in the northern Metro Detroit region of southeastern Michigan.From the Wikipedia article “Cass Lake (Michigan)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cass Lake 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° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:38 AM | 90° E | 7:46 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:57 AM | 57° ENE | 9:15 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:21 AM | 89° E | 7:33 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:01 AM | 122° ESE | 5:04 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 03m |
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 | 7:30 AM | 8:02 AM | 8:45 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:57 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 7:03 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:35 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:24 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:08 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:24 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:45 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:40 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:53 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:31 PM | 9:14 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 5:36 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:28 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:07 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:46 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:51 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:14 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:19 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:25 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 7:25 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:43 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:34 PM | 9h 04m |
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 Cass Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 5:14 AM – 6:04 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:06 AM – 5:06 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 1:17 AM – 4:07 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:28 PM – 3:38 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:17 PM – 2:17 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:24 PM – 12:14 AM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:21 PM – 10:11 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.71 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 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.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 59 | 65 | 82 | 80 | 89 | 96 | 99 | 99 | 94 | 88 | 75 | 64 |
| Low °F | -18 | -19 | -12 | 5 | 24 | 37 | 42 | 46 | 36 | 25 | 8 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
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
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Cass Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cass Lake?
What time is golden hour at Cass Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cass Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cass Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cass Lake?
How far is Cass Lake from Keego Harbor?
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.