Loon Lake — a lake in Gogebic County, Michigan at about 523 m (1,716 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Eagle River, about 32 km (20 mi) away (Loon Lake lies N of town).
Loon Lake is a lake located in Gogebic County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Loon Lake is one of about two dozen clear, clean lakes located in a special wilderness area known as the Sylvania Wilderness, which in turn is located within the Ottawa National Forest a few miles to the west of the town of Watersmeet. The shoreline is completely undeveloped, and surrounded by virgin timber consisting mainly of hemlock and pine. This remote, spring-fed lake is noted for its rugged beauty. The total surface area of the lake is 375 acres (1.5 km2), with maximum depths of 53 feet (16 m). Like all lakes in the Sylvania Tract, Loon lake has numerous special regulations designed to protect and ensure its wilderness quality for future generations. These regulations include no motors on watercraft and catch and release for bass.From the Wikipedia article “Loon Lake (Gogebic County, Michigan)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Loon Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (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) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:06 AM | 54° NE | 8:53 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 47m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 124° SE | 4:14 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 37m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:25 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 01m |
| February | 6:30 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 33m |
| May | 4:50 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 58m |
| June | 4:27 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 45m |
| July | 4:44 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:06 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 26m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:45 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 6:59 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:24 AM | 3:22 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 38m |
Local time (America/Menominee), 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 Loon Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | 5:13 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:15 AM – 4:15 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:09 AM – 2:59 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:36 PM – 2:16 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:16 PM – 1:06 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:07 PM – 10:57 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 9:04 PM | 0.2 | 11° | 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 ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Loon Lake, closest first.
Lake
Wilderness Area
Lake
Lake
Lake
Waterfall
LakeWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Sylvania (Clark Lake) Campground5.0 km (3.1 mi) · reservable
- Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping5.0 km (3.1 mi) · reservable
- Clark Lake Pavilion5.0 km (3.1 mi) · reservable
- Lac Vieux Desert Campground13.4 km (8.3 mi) · reservable
- Langford Lake Boat Launch16.9 km (10.5 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Loon Lake?
What time is golden hour at Loon Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Loon Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Loon Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Loon Lake?
How far is Loon Lake from Eagle River?
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.