Douglas Lake is a lake in Cheboygan County, Michigan at about 217 m (712 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 18.7 km (11.6 mi) WSW of Cheboygan.
Douglas Lake is an inland lake located in Cheboygan County on the northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. It is the 28th largest lake in Michigan with an areal coverage of 3,395 acres (1,374 ha) and a maximum depth of 79 feet (24 m). The lake has two tributaries, Bessey Creek and Beavertail Creek and one outlet, the East Branch Maple River. Douglas Lake is part of the headwaters for the Maple River, a Blue Ribbon trout stream. Much of the southern shoreline of Douglas Lake is undeveloped as it is owned by the University of Michigan Biological Station and is used for research and educational purposes. The University of Michigan Biological Station and the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council both maintain extensive records describing the biotic and abiotic features of Douglas Lake.From the Wikipedia article “Douglas Lake (Cheboygan County, Michigan)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Douglas Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) 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) | 7:43 AM | 90° E | 7:51 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 55° NE | 9:32 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:17 AM | 124° SE | 4:58 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 41m |
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 | 7:43 AM | 8:16 AM | 9:03 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:55 PM | 9h 05m |
| February | 7:11 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:24 AM | 5:24 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:36 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:32 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:14 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:23 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:56 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:38 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 5:12 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:36 AM | 8:44 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:08 PM | 15h 40m |
| July | 5:28 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:49 AM | 8:41 PM | 9:26 PM | 10:02 PM | 15h 21m |
| August | 6:08 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:57 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:22 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:26 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:36 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:25 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 7:39 AM | 8:13 AM | 9:03 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:31 PM | 8h 43m |
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 Douglas Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 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 | 5:44 AM – 6:04 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:44 AM – 4:54 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:44 AM – 3:54 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:07 AM – 3:07 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:50 PM – 1:50 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:45 PM – 11:55 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:34 PM – 9:54 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 December as the cloudiest (81%). July 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 | 44 | 55 | 75 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 91 | 88 | 86 | 82 | 69 | 58 |
| Low °F | -15 | -18 | -10 | 6 | 27 | 33 | 44 | 46 | 37 | 28 | 13 | -6 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 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 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.
- 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 Douglas Lake, closest first.
Lake
Lighthouse
Lake
State ParkLighthouse
State Park
Lighthouse
Sand DunesSand DunesFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Douglas Lake?
What time is golden hour at Douglas Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Douglas Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Douglas Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Douglas Lake?
How far is Douglas Lake from Cheboygan?
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.