Located in Gogebic County, Michigan, Deer Island Lake is a lake at about 523 m (1,716 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Eagle River, about 31 km (19 mi) away (Deer Island Lake lies N of town).
Deer Island Lake is a lake located in Gogebic County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The Lake is one of about 24 clear, clean lakes located in a special wilderness area known as the Sylvania Wilderness, which in turn is located within the Ottawa National Forest a few miles (6 to 8 km) to the west of the town of Watersmeet. The shoreline is completely undeveloped, and surrounded by virgin forest consisting mainly of hemlock and pine. This crystal-clear spring-fed lake is one of the most remote in the Sylvania Tract, but is well worth the journey for those intrepid enough to make it. The total surface area of the lake is 346 acres (1.4 km2), with maximum depths of 55 ft (17 m). The lake is named for the very large island in the center of the lake, which deer inhabit by crossing back and forth on the ice in winter. Several smaller islands and numerous rocky shoals add to the...From the Wikipedia article “Deer Island Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Deer Island 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) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:06 AM | 54° NE | 8:53 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 47m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 124° SE | 4:14 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 | 7:03 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:25 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 01m |
| February | 6:30 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 33m |
| May | 4:50 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 58m |
| June | 4:27 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 45m |
| July | 4:44 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:06 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 26m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:44 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:45 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 6:59 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:24 AM | 3:22 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 38m |
Local time (America/Menominee), 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 Deer Island 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 | 5:13 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:15 AM – 4:15 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:09 AM – 2:59 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:36 PM – 2:16 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:16 PM – 1:06 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:07 PM – 10:57 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 9:04 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 4.0+ 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 40 | 49 | 73 | 76 | 87 | 88 | 96 | 93 | 89 | 79 | 67 | 54 |
| Low °F | -21 | -26 | -19 | 6 | 23 | 34 | 40 | 42 | 31 | 13 | -1 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 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
- 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.
- 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 Deer Island Lake, closest first.
Lake
Lake
Wilderness Area
Lake
Lake
Waterfall
LakeWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Sylvania (Clark Lake) Campground6.2 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping6.3 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Clark Lake Pavilion6.3 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Lac Vieux Desert Campground11.2 km (6.9 mi) · reservable
- Marion Lake Group Site16.2 km (10.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Deer Island Lake?
What time is golden hour at Deer Island Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Deer Island Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Deer Island Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Deer Island Lake?
How far is Deer Island Lake from Eagle River?
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.