Whitefish Point Light — a lighthouse in Chippewa County, Michigan — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Seney National Wildlife Refuge. It sits roughly 56 km (35 mi) WNW of Sault Ste. Marie. Its recorded tower height is about 23 m (75 ft). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Whitefish Point Light is a lighthouse located in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the southeastern shores of Lake Superior, it sits at the edge of Whitefish Point leading to Whitefish Bay. Constructed in 1849 by congress, it is the oldest operating lighthouse in the Upper Peninsula. All vessels entering or exiting Lake Superior pass near Whitefish Point. The area is known as the "Graveyard of the Great Lakes" due to the high number of shipwrecks in the area, including the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. The lighthouse is part of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum complex, which contains numerous relics from shipwrecks of the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve, including the bell of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. The lighthouse itself was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and again as a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974.From the Wikipedia article “Whitefish Point Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Whitefish Point Light the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:44 AM | 90° E | 7:52 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:47 AM | 54° NE | 9:38 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 52m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:27 AM | 89° E | 7:40 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:23 AM | 125° SE | 4:55 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 32m |
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 | 7:47 AM | 8:21 AM | 9:10 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:53 PM | 8h 57m |
| February | 7:14 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:28 AM | 5:22 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:36 PM | 10h 20m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:34 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:16 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:21 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:00 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 5:30 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:50 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 02m |
| June | 5:07 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:49 PM | 9:36 PM | 10:16 PM | 15h 50m |
| July | 5:24 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:47 AM | 8:46 PM | 9:31 PM | 10:09 PM | 15h 30m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:58 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:39 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:25 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:30 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 24m |
| December | 7:44 AM | 8:19 AM | 9:10 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:28 PM | 8h 34m |
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 Whitefish Point Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:57 AM – 6:07 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 4:00 AM – 4:50 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:06 AM – 3:46 AM | 1.7 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:28 AM – 2:48 AM | 2.3 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:05 AM – 1:45 AM | 1.7 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:53 PM – 11:43 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:38 PM – 9:38 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 66% average cloud cover) and November as the cloudiest (82%). August 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 | 39 | 38 | 70 | 68 | 80 | 83 | 89 | 87 | 82 | 76 | 65 | 55 |
| Low °F | -25 | -25 | -15 | 3 | 25 | 34 | 40 | 44 | 35 | 22 | -1 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 2.8 |
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
- Many lighthouses are on private or Coast Guard property — check public access and opening hours.
- 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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Launching or landing drones on National Wildlife Refuge lands generally requires a special use permit from the refuge manager, and wildlife disturbance rules apply everywhere.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Whitefish Point Light, closest first.
Sand DunesSand DunesSand Dunes
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Whitefish Point Light?
What time is golden hour at Whitefish Point Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at Whitefish Point Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from Whitefish Point Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Whitefish Point Light?
How far is Whitefish Point Light from Sault Ste. Marie?
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.