Located in Charlevoix County, Michigan, Walloon Lake is a lake at about 209 m (686 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 7.7 km (4.8 mi) N of Boyne City.
Walloon Lake is a glacier-formed lake located in Charlevoix and Emmet counties, just southwestward from the northern tip of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It is now home to many vacation homes and cottages. Though the end of the west arm of the lake is less than 1 mile (1.6 km) from Lake Michigan, Walloon Lake's surface elevation is over 100 feet (30 m) higher. The Bear River drains from the east end of the lake in Walloon Lake village, winding east then north down to its outflow into Lake Michigan at the south end of Petoskey.From the Wikipedia article “Walloon Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Walloon Lake the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:44 AM | 90° E | 7:53 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:53 AM | 55° NE | 9:32 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 39m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:28 AM | 89° E | 7:40 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:17 AM | 124° ESE | 5:01 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 44m |
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 | 7:43 AM | 8:16 AM | 9:03 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:57 PM | 9h 07m |
| February | 7:12 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:24 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:15 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:25 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:57 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 5:37 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:38 PM | 14h 52m |
| June | 5:15 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:45 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:08 PM | 15h 38m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:51 AM | 8:42 PM | 9:26 PM | 10:02 PM | 15h 19m |
| August | 6:10 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:58 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:23 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:27 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:37 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 7:07 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 33m |
| December | 7:39 AM | 8:13 AM | 9:02 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:33 PM | 8h 45m |
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 Walloon Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 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 | 5:45 AM – 6:05 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:44 AM – 5:04 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:43 AM – 3:53 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:05 AM – 3:15 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:48 PM – 1:58 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:45 PM – 11:55 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:34 PM – 9:54 PM | 0.3 | 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 ≈ 21.45 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 September as the clearest month (about 61% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 43 | 41 | 55 | 60 | 67 | 73 | 78 | 78 | 75 | 73 | 60 | 55 |
| Low °F | 1 | -10 | -3 | 15 | 31 | 37 | 49 | 54 | 44 | 35 | 18 | 11 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 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
- 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.
- 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 Walloon Lake, closest first.
State Park
Sand Dunes
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State ParkLighthouse
Lighthouse
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Walloon Lake?
What time is golden hour at Walloon Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Walloon Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Walloon Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Walloon Lake?
How far is Walloon Lake from Boyne 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.