Fife Lake — a lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan at about 311 m (1,020 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Kingsley, about 15.3 km (9.5 mi) away (Fife Lake lies E of town).
Fife Lake ( FYFE) is a lake in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Located primarily in Fife Lake Township, Grand Traverse County, a small portion extends east into Springfield Township, Kalkaska County. The eponymous village of Fife Lake lies upon the lake's northern and western shores. The lake and village are named for William H. Fife, a postmaster from Yuba, elsewhere in Grand Traverse County. Fife Lake is part of the Manistee River watershed. Water from Fife Lake crosses south into Wexford County before encountering the Manistee River, where it flows west to Lake Michigan.From the Wikipedia article “Fife Lake (Michigan)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fife Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:45 AM | 90° E | 7:54 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:57 AM | 55° NE | 9:31 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:29 AM | 89° E | 7:41 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:16 AM | 123° ESE | 5:05 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 49m |
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 | 8:15 AM | 9:01 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:27 PM | 6:00 PM | 9h 12m |
| February | 7:13 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:24 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 7:26 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:17 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:28 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:56 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 5:41 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:37 PM | 14h 48m |
| June | 5:20 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:44 PM | 9:29 PM | 10:06 PM | 15h 32m |
| July | 5:36 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:41 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:00 PM | 15h 14m |
| August | 6:13 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:59 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:23 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:37 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:47 PM | 9h 36m |
| December | 7:39 AM | 8:12 AM | 9:00 AM | 4:15 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:36 PM | 8h 51m |
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 Fife Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:34 AM – 6:14 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:32 AM – 5:02 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:39 AM – 3:59 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:56 PM – 3:26 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:42 PM – 2:02 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:42 PM – 12:02 AM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:33 PM – 10:03 PM | 0.5 | 13° | 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 ≈ 21.85 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 53% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (82%). 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 | 48 | 61 | 79 | 77 | 84 | 89 | 94 | 93 | 89 | 85 | 72 | 61 |
| Low °F | -15 | -21 | -13 | 6 | 25 | 32 | 42 | 46 | 36 | 24 | 10 | -3 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fife Lake?
What time is golden hour at Fife Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fife Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fife Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fife Lake?
How far is Fife Lake from Kingsley?
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.