Silver Lake — a lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan at about 263 m (863 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 9.3 km (5.8 mi) SSW of Traverse City.
Silver Lake is a lake in Grand Traverse County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is roughly 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from the northern to southern ends. The lake is known for its pine coasts, irregular shoreline, and many peninsulas and islands, despite being smaller in size. Its maximum depth is 96 feet (29 m), making it the third deepest lake in Grand Traverse County. It is also the fourth-largest lake entirely within Grand Traverse County, after Long Lake, Green Lake, and Duck Lake.From the Wikipedia article “Silver Lake (Grand Traverse County, Michigan)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Silver 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) | 7:47 AM | 90° E | 7:55 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:58 AM | 55° NE | 9:33 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:31 AM | 89° E | 7:42 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:18 AM | 123° ESE | 5:06 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 48m |
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 | 7:45 AM | 8:17 AM | 9:03 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:28 PM | 6:01 PM | 9h 11m |
| February | 7:14 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:25 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:41 PM | 10h 27m |
| March | 7:27 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:35 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:18 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:29 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 5:42 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:58 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:38 PM | 14h 49m |
| June | 5:20 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:46 PM | 9:31 PM | 10:08 PM | 15h 33m |
| July | 5:36 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:56 AM | 8:43 PM | 9:27 PM | 10:02 PM | 15h 15m |
| August | 6:14 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:25 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:29 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:38 AM | 6:20 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 7:09 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:25 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:48 PM | 9h 36m |
| December | 7:40 AM | 8:14 AM | 9:02 AM | 4:15 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:37 PM | 8h 50m |
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 Silver Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:47 AM – 6:07 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:45 AM – 5:05 AM | 1.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:42 AM – 4:02 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:01 AM – 3:21 AM | 3.3 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:46 PM – 2:06 AM | 2.3 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:45 PM – 12:05 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:36 PM – 10:06 PM | 0.5 | 12° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.43 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
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Silver Lake, closest first.
Lake
Scenic Viewpoint
State Park
State ParkScenic Viewpoint
Sand Dunes
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Silver Lake?
What time is golden hour at Silver Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Silver Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Silver Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Silver Lake?
How far is Silver Lake from Traverse City?
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.