Lake Missaukee is a lake in Missaukee County, Michigan at about 377 m (1,237 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Cadillac, about 15.4 km (9.6 mi) away (Lake Missaukee lies ENE of town).
Lake Missaukee is a freshwater lake located in Missaukee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is mostly surrounded by Lake Township, while bordering Lake City to the east and a very small portion extending north into Caldwell Township.From the Wikipedia article “Lake Missaukee”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake Missaukee 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 | 7:53 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:58 AM | 55° NE | 9:29 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:29 AM | 89° E | 7:40 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:14 AM | 123° ESE | 5:05 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 | 7:42 AM | 8:14 AM | 9:00 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:28 PM | 6:00 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 7:12 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:23 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 7:25 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:16 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:28 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:55 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:41 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:35 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 5:20 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:43 PM | 9:27 PM | 10:04 PM | 15h 30m |
| July | 5:36 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:40 PM | 9:24 PM | 9:59 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 6:13 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:59 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:23 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:27 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:36 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 7:06 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:21 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:47 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 7:37 AM | 8:11 AM | 8:59 AM | 4:15 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:36 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 Lake Missaukee, 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:34 AM – 6:14 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:31 AM – 5:01 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:37 AM – 4:07 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:54 PM – 3:24 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:39 PM – 2:09 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:40 PM – 12:10 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:33 PM – 10:03 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: 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 ≈ 21.76 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
- 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.
- 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 Lake Missaukee, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake Missaukee?
What time is golden hour at Lake Missaukee?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake Missaukee?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake Missaukee?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake Missaukee?
How far is Lake Missaukee from Cadillac?
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.