Green Lake is a lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan at about 290 m (951 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 6.9 km (4.3 mi) NW of Chelsea.
Green Lake is a fresh water lake located in northwest Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake encompasses 90.5 acres (36.6 ha). It is located entirely within Lyndon Township about five miles (8.0 km) northwest of the city of Chelsea along M-52. The lake is located within Waterloo State Recreation Area along the northeastern edge of the park's boundaries near Pinckney State Recreation Area.From the Wikipedia article “Green Lake (Washtenaw County, Michigan)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Green 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° (WNW) 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) | 7:41 AM | 90° E | 7:49 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:00 AM | 57° ENE | 9:17 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 17m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:24 AM | 89° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:03 AM | 122° ESE | 5:07 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 04m |
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 | 7:33 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:47 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:29 PM | 6:00 PM | 9h 25m |
| February | 7:05 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:13 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 7:21 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:26 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:11 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:47 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:44 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:23 PM | 14h 36m |
| June | 5:25 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 16m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:31 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:46 PM | 14h 59m |
| August | 6:14 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:09 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:54 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:16 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:21 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:28 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:58 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 7:27 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:45 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 06m |
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 Green 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 5:16 AM – 6:06 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:09 AM – 5:09 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 1:18 AM – 4:08 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:28 PM – 3:38 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:18 PM – 2:18 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 12:16 AM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:23 PM – 10:13 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.78 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 July as the clearest month (about 49% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 60 | 65 | 82 | 80 | 89 | 97 | 102 | 98 | 95 | 88 | 76 | 65 |
| Low °F | -18 | -20 | -12 | 4 | 24 | 36 | 41 | 44 | 36 | 24 | 8 | -2 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 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
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Green Lake, closest first.
State Park
State Park
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Green Lake?
What time is golden hour at Green Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Green Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Green Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Green Lake?
How far is Green Lake from Chelsea?
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.