Manistique Lake — a lake in Mackinac County, Michigan at about 210 m (689 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 25 km (16 mi) WSW of Newberry.
Manistique Lake ( man-iss-TEEK), locally called Big Manistique Lake to distinguish it from the other lakes in the Manistique Lakes system, is a 10,130-acre (4,100 ha) lake in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) long and 4 miles (6.4 km) wide, it is one of the largest lakes in the Upper Peninsula. Elevated 686 feet (209 m) above sea level and 105 feet (32 m) above Lake Michigan, Manistique Lake drains into the larger lake through a marshy outlet on the west end of the lake that forms one source of the Manistique River. Relatively shallow, the lake's deepest point is only 20 feet (6.1 m) below the water surface. The average depth is 10 feet (3.0 m). The lake is shared between Luce County and Mackinac County. The small town of Curtis, Michigan is located on an isthmus that divides Manistique Lake from South Manistique Lake directly...From the Wikipedia article “Manistique Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Manistique 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) | 7:47 AM | 90° E | 7:56 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:52 AM | 54° NE | 9:39 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 47m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:31 AM | 89° E | 7:43 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:24 AM | 124° SE | 5:00 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 36m |
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 | 7:49 AM | 8:23 AM | 9:11 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:57 PM | 9h 01m |
| February | 7:16 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:30 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 7:27 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:37 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:19 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:26 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:02 PM | 13h 33m |
| May | 5:36 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:45 PM | 14h 58m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:51 PM | 9:37 PM | 10:16 PM | 15h 46m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:47 PM | 9:33 PM | 10:10 PM | 15h 26m |
| August | 6:10 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:30 AM | 8:01 AM | 8:42 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:29 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 7:12 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 7:45 AM | 8:20 AM | 9:10 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:33 PM | 8h 38m |
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 Manistique 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 | 5:59 AM – 6:09 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 4:01 AM – 5:01 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:54 AM – 3:44 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:22 AM – 3:02 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:02 AM – 1:52 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:53 PM – 11:43 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:40 PM – 9:50 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 ≈ 21.94 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 August as the clearest month (about 66% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (82%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 44 | 68 | 70 | 79 | 83 | 92 | 86 | 82 | 77 | 65 | 54 |
| Low °F | -11 | -16 | -14 | 6 | 27 | 32 | 38 | 44 | 35 | 24 | 4 | -9 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
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.
- 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 Manistique Lake, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Manistique Lake?
What time is golden hour at Manistique Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Manistique Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Manistique Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Manistique Lake?
How far is Manistique Lake from Newberry?
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.