Lake of the Clouds — a lake in Ontonagon County, Michigan at about 328 m (1,076 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. It sits roughly 34 km (21 mi) WSW of Ontonagon.
Lake of the Clouds is a lake located in Ontonagon County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan within the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The lake is situated in a valley between two ridges in the Porcupine Mountains. Surrounded by virgin wilderness and stunning vistas, the lake is a popular destination for hikers, campers, and fishermen. The lake is a prominent feature of the park, and can be viewed at the Lake of the Clouds Overlook at the west terminus of the former Michigan highway M-107. The state park occasionally hosts a nighttime sky watch at the lake. The lake is fed from the east end by the Carp River Inlet and the outflow from the western end is the Carp River, which empties into Lake Superior on the boundary between Ontonagon and Gogebic County.From the Wikipedia article “Lake of the Clouds”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lake of the Clouds the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:03 AM | 90° E | 8:12 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:06 AM | 54° NE | 9:58 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 52m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:47 AM | 89° E | 7:59 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:42 AM | 125° SE | 5:14 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 32m |
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 | 8:06 AM | 8:40 AM | 9:29 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:12 PM | 8h 57m |
| February | 7:33 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:47 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:55 PM | 10h 20m |
| March | 7:43 AM | 8:13 AM | 8:53 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:35 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:19 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 5:49 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:43 PM | 9:27 PM | 10:03 PM | 15h 02m |
| June | 5:26 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:52 AM | 9:08 PM | 9:56 PM | 10:35 PM | 15h 51m |
| July | 5:43 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:06 AM | 9:05 PM | 9:51 PM | 10:28 PM | 15h 30m |
| August | 6:24 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:29 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:45 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 7:07 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:17 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:43 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:47 AM | 8:17 AM | 8:59 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:44 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 7:30 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:49 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:59 PM | 9h 24m |
| December | 8:03 AM | 8:38 AM | 9:30 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:47 PM | 8h 34m |
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 of the Clouds, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 6:16 AM – 6:26 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 4:19 AM – 5:09 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:25 AM – 4:05 AM | 1.7 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:47 AM – 3:07 AM | 2.3 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:24 AM – 2:04 AM | 1.7 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 11:12 PM – 12:02 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:57 PM – 9:57 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 40 | 49 | 73 | 76 | 87 | 88 | 96 | 93 | 89 | 79 | 67 | 54 |
| Low °F | -21 | -26 | -19 | 6 | 23 | 34 | 40 | 42 | 31 | 13 | -1 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 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
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Lake of the Clouds, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
State Park
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Black River Harbor Pavilion27 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Black River Harbor Campground27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lake of the Clouds?
What time is golden hour at Lake of the Clouds?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lake of the Clouds?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lake of the Clouds?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lake of the Clouds?
How far is Lake of the Clouds from Ontonagon?
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.