Located in Bay County, Michigan, Saginaw River Rear Range Light is a lighthouse at about 178 m (584 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Essexville, about 2.4 km (1.5 mi) away (Saginaw River Rear Range Light lies NNW of town). It dates from 1839. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The first Saginaw River lighthouse was constructed from 1839 to 1841, in a period when large quantities of lumber were being harvested and shipped from the heart of Michigan via river and the Great Lakes to the East Coast of the United States via the Erie Canal and Hudson River. This connection to major eastern markets was critical to the development of central Michigan. In 1867 the United States Corps of Engineers dredged the Saginaw River to enable passage by larger ships upriver. This change required replacing the first light, and in 1876 a pair of lighthouses were constructed in range light configuration to provide improved navigation. The front one was located on the west bank of the river and the rear range lighthouse was located south of the river mouth. It contained living quarters. In 1915, the two lighthouses were converted to electricity.From the Wikipedia article “Saginaw River Rear Range Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Saginaw River Rear Range Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:40 AM | 90° E | 7:48 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:55 AM | 56° NE | 9:21 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:23 AM | 89° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:06 AM | 123° ESE | 5:02 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 56m |
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 | 7:35 AM | 8:07 AM | 8:52 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 7:06 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:35 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:20 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:27 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:10 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:23 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:38 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:53 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:36 PM | 9:19 PM | 9:55 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:34 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:51 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:53 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:16 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:21 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:29 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:59 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:30 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:50 AM | 4:13 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:33 PM | 8h 57m |
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 Saginaw River Rear Range Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 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 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:27 AM – 6:07 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:23 AM – 5:03 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:27 AM – 3:57 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:42 PM – 3:22 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:29 PM – 2:09 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:32 PM – 12:02 AM | 1.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:26 PM – 10:06 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.78 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (79%). 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 | 53 | 62 | 80 | 77 | 87 | 89 | 91 | 92 | 88 | 85 | 72 | 63 |
| Low °F | -12 | -19 | -14 | 8 | 28 | 36 | 44 | 47 | 39 | 27 | 15 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
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
- Moonrise or the Milky Way over the tower makes a classic night composition; plan with the azimuth tables.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Saginaw River Rear Range Light, closest first.
State Park
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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.