Hubbard Lake — a lake in Alcona County, Michigan at about 216 m (709 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Hubbard Lake, about 5.2 km (3.2 mi) away (Hubbard Lake lies NNW of town).
Hubbard Lake is a lake in Alcona County in Northern Michigan. The lake covers 8,850 acres (35.8 km2) and is seven miles (11 km) long (north-south) and two miles (3.2 km) wide. It has a maximum depth of 97.5 feet (29.7 m) with an average depth of 32.6 feet (9.9 m). The lake spans three townships: Caledonia, Alcona, and Hawes. The lake is part of the a large tract of land (more than six million acres (24,000 km2)) that was ceded by the Ojibwa, Ottawa and Potawatomi to the United States in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. Permanent white settlers did not begin to arrive in the area until the 1830s and 1840s. At that time, the lake was known as the "Bottomless Lake". It was also for a while known as "Coral Lake" and "Alcona Lake". In 1867, it was named "Hubbard Lake" in honor of Dr. Bela Hubbard, who was a prominent geologist in the state of Michigan.From the Wikipedia article “Hubbard Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hubbard 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) | 7:38 AM | 90° E | 7:47 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:49 AM | 55° NE | 9:24 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:09 AM | 123° ESE | 4:57 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 47m |
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 | 7:36 AM | 8:09 AM | 8:55 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:52 PM | 9h 11m |
| February | 7:06 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:22 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:33 PM | 10h 27m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:26 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:10 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:20 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:49 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:30 PM | 14h 49m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:34 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:23 PM | 10:00 PM | 15h 34m |
| July | 5:27 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:47 AM | 8:35 PM | 9:18 PM | 9:54 PM | 15h 15m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 05m |
| September | 6:44 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:52 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:16 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:21 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:30 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 7:01 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:39 PM | 9h 35m |
| December | 7:32 AM | 8:06 AM | 8:54 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:28 PM | 8h 49m |
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 Hubbard Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.3 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 1 (excellent dark-sky 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 | 5:38 AM – 5:58 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:36 AM – 4:56 AM | 1.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:33 AM – 3:53 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:52 PM – 3:12 AM | 3.3 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:37 PM – 1:57 AM | 2.3 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:36 PM – 11:56 PM | 1.3 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:27 PM – 9:57 PM | 0.5 | 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.9 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 September as the clearest month (about 60% 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 | 51 | 61 | 78 | 78 | 87 | 91 | 95 | 94 | 90 | 87 | 69 | 60 |
| Low °F | -15 | -19 | -12 | 3 | 24 | 34 | 42 | 42 | 35 | 25 | 12 | -8 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 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
- 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.
- 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 Hubbard Lake, closest first.
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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.