Located in Roscommon County, Michigan, Marl Lake is a lake at about 351 m (1,152 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 10.4 km (6.5 mi) SW of Roscommon.
Marl Lake is a freshwater lake located in Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The lake is entirety located within South Higgins Lake State Park. The lake is within Markey Township to the south and Gerrish Township to the north. Covering a surface area of 237 acres (0.96 km2), Marl Lake is a significantly smaller and less-developed lake compared to the nearby Higgins Lake. The two are connected by the Cut River, and upon exiting Marl Lake, the Cut River continues to flow into Houghton Lake.From the Wikipedia article “Marl Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Marl 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) | 7:43 AM | 90° E | 7:51 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:55 AM | 55° NE | 9:27 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:13 AM | 123° ESE | 5:03 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 50m |
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 | 7:40 AM | 8:12 AM | 8:58 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:58 PM | 9h 13m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:31 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:14 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 5:39 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:33 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:41 PM | 9:26 PM | 10:02 PM | 15h 31m |
| July | 5:34 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:22 PM | 9:57 PM | 15h 13m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:57 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:34 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 7:04 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:20 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 7:35 AM | 8:09 AM | 8:57 AM | 4:13 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:34 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 Marl Lake, 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:32 AM – 6:12 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:30 AM – 5:00 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:37 AM – 3:57 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:54 PM – 3:24 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:40 PM – 2:00 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:40 PM – 12:00 AM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:31 PM – 10:01 PM | 0.5 | 13° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.81 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 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 63 | 81 | 81 | 89 | 95 | 97 | 95 | 92 | 88 | 71 | 61 |
| Low °F | -20 | -23 | -15 | -1 | 24 | 33 | 40 | 40 | 32 | 22 | 8 | -10 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 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
- 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.
- 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 Marl Lake, closest first.
State ParkLake
Lake
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Marl Lake?
What time is golden hour at Marl Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Marl Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Marl Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Marl Lake?
How far is Marl Lake from Roscommon?
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.