Fourteen Foot Shoal Light is a lighthouse in Cheboygan County, Michigan. The nearest town is Cheboygan, about 4.8 km (3.0 mi) away (Fourteen Foot Shoal Light lies NE of town). Its recorded tower height is about 17 m (56 ft). It dates from 1929. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The lighthouse at Fourteen Foot Shoal was named to note that the lake is only 14 feet (4.3 m) deep at this point, which is a hazard to navigation, ships and mariners. This light is located at the northern end of Lake Huron, Michigan, US, where it is necessary for boats heading to Chicago to pass through a narrow strait and still avoid shallow water. The most common path is to go south of Bois Blanc Island (Michigan). In this channel, the Poe Reef Light marks the northern end of the safe channel and the Fourteen Foot Shoal light marks the southern side of the channel.From the Wikipedia article “Fourteen Foot Shoal Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fourteen Foot Shoal Light 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° (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) | 7:42 AM | 90° E | 7:50 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:49 AM | 54° NE | 9:32 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 43m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:25 AM | 89° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:16 AM | 124° SE | 4:57 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 41m |
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
Lighthouses work at both ends of the day: blue hour when the beacon is lit, and golden hour when white towers take on warm tones.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:42 AM | 8:15 AM | 9:03 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:53 PM | 9h 05m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:23 AM | 5:23 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:35 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 7:22 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:31 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:22 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:55 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:51 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:37 PM | 14h 55m |
| June | 5:10 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:34 AM | 8:44 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:08 PM | 15h 41m |
| July | 5:27 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:48 AM | 8:41 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:02 PM | 15h 22m |
| August | 6:06 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 09m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:56 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:35 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:24 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 7:06 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:23 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 30m |
| December | 7:38 AM | 8:13 AM | 9:02 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:29 PM | 8h 42m |
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 Fourteen Foot Shoal Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), 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 | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:43 AM – 6:03 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:44 AM – 4:54 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:45 AM – 3:45 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:10 AM – 3:00 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:51 PM – 1:51 AM | 2.0 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:45 PM – 11:45 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:33 PM – 9:43 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.23 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%). July 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 | 44 | 55 | 75 | 74 | 82 | 85 | 91 | 88 | 86 | 82 | 69 | 58 |
| Low °F | -15 | -18 | -10 | 6 | 27 | 33 | 44 | 46 | 37 | 28 | 13 | -6 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 2.4 |
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 lighthouse
- During blue hour, use 5–15 second exposures to capture the beam; check whether the light is still active.
- Shoot from the beach or a jetty to place the tower against open sky and sea.
- Stormy weather and crashing surf add drama; keep a safe distance from waves on rocks and piers.
- A telephoto from across a bay compresses the tower against cliffs or the moon.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Summer brings open towers and tours; autumn and winter offer storms, fewer crowds and lower sun angles.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Telephoto lens, ND filter for smooth water, Rain cover. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Fourteen Foot Shoal Light, closest first.
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fourteen Foot Shoal Light?
What time is golden hour at Fourteen Foot Shoal Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fourteen Foot Shoal Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fourteen Foot Shoal Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fourteen Foot Shoal Light?
How far is Fourteen Foot Shoal Light from Cheboygan?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.