Located in Roscommon County, Michigan, Houghton Lake is a lake at about 347 m (1,138 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Houghton Lake, about 4.1 km (2.5 mi) away (Houghton Lake lies NE of town).
Houghton Lake is a lake in Roscommon County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The unincorporated community of Prudenville is at the southeastern end of the lake, while the unincorporated communities of Houghton Lake and Houghton Lake Heights are on the southwest and west shores. It is the largest inland lake in the state of Michigan, and one of the largest natural inland lakes in the United States. The lake is approximately 10 miles (16 km) north to south, and about 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) at it widest point. Houghton Lake has c. 30 miles (48 km) of total shoreline and its waters cover 20,044 acres (81.12 km2). It is an extremely popular resort and fishing area year round. Houghton Lake is the site of Tip-Up-Town USA, a large ice fishing and winter sports festival with several events on the frozen waters of the lake itself. Houghton Lake is named after the first state geologist, Douglass...From the Wikipedia article “Houghton Lake (Michigan)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Houghton 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) | 7:43 AM | 90° E | 7:51 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:56 AM | 55° NE | 9:27 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:27 AM | 89° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:12 AM | 123° ESE | 5:03 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 51m |
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 | 7:40 AM | 8:12 AM | 8:58 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:58 PM | 9h 13m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:31 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:14 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:26 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:39 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:18 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:33 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:41 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:02 PM | 15h 30m |
| July | 5:34 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:53 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:21 PM | 9:57 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:57 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:34 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 7:04 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 7:35 AM | 8:09 AM | 8:57 AM | 4:13 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:34 PM | 8h 52m |
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 Houghton 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:32 AM – 6:12 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:29 AM – 4:59 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:35 AM – 4:05 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:52 PM – 3:22 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:37 PM – 2:07 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:38 PM – 12:08 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:31 PM – 10:01 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.17 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 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 51 | 63 | 81 | 81 | 89 | 95 | 97 | 95 | 92 | 88 | 71 | 61 |
| Low °F | -20 | -23 | -15 | -1 | 24 | 33 | 40 | 40 | 32 | 22 | 8 | -10 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 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
- 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.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Houghton Lake, closest first.
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Houghton Lake?
What time is golden hour at Houghton Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Houghton Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Houghton Lake?
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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.