Gun Lake is a lake in Barry County, Michigan at about 227 m (745 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Wayland, about 12.9 km (8.0 mi) away (Gun Lake lies SE of town).
Gun Lake is a lake in the U.S. state of Michigan, located mostly in Barry County with the southwestern tip extending into Allegan County. Along most of the lake are numerous summer homes, cottages, and permanent residences. The Yankee Springs Recreation Area is based on northeastern portions of the lake. Gun Lake is the location of a State Park with a boat launch, two beaches, a campground, and picnic areas.From the Wikipedia article “Gun Lake (Michigan)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Gun 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) | 7:46 AM | 90° E | 7:54 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:05 AM | 57° ENE | 9:24 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:30 AM | 89° E | 7:41 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:10 AM | 122° ESE | 5:12 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 | 7:39 AM | 8:10 AM | 8:54 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:05 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 7:11 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:20 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 7:27 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:32 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:17 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:49 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:01 AM | 8:17 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:30 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 5:30 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:47 AM | 8:39 PM | 9:22 PM | 9:57 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 5:45 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:37 PM | 9:19 PM | 9:53 PM | 15h 00m |
| August | 6:19 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:16 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:00 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:22 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:27 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:34 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 7:04 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:51 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 7:34 AM | 8:06 AM | 8:52 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:42 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 Gun 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 | 5:23 AM – 6:13 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:15 AM – 5:15 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 1:26 AM – 4:16 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:37 PM – 3:47 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:26 PM – 2:26 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:33 PM – 12:23 AM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:30 PM – 10:20 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: 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 ≈ 21.01 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 (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 | 59 | 64 | 81 | 78 | 90 | 94 | 104 | 97 | 95 | 86 | 75 | 66 |
| Low °F | -14 | -17 | -8 | 14 | 25 | 36 | 42 | 43 | 37 | 25 | 15 | 2 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 2.8 | 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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Gun Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Gun Lake?
What time is golden hour at Gun Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Gun Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Gun Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Gun Lake?
How far is Gun Lake from Wayland?
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.