Located in Baraga County, Michigan, Mount Arvon is a mountain peak at about 601 m (1,972 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is L'Anse, about 23 km (14 mi) away (Mount Arvon lies E of town).
Mount Arvon ( ARR-vahn) at 1,979 feet (603 m), is either the highest or second-highest natural point in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in L'Anse Township, Baraga County, Mount Arvon is part of the Huron Mountains. It rises about eight miles (13 km) south of Lake Superior (elevation 591 feet [180 m]). On the list of highest natural points in each U.S. state, Mount Arvon ranks 38th. It is the highest natural point in the East North Central states. Mount Arvon is a few miles from Mount Curwood, which for years had been designated as Michigan's highest spot until a resurvey in 1982 with modern technology determined that Mount Arvon was 1 foot (0.30 m) taller than Mount Curwood. Mount Arvon is about 12 miles (19 km) east of L'Anse, although it is about a 26-mile (42 km) drive from the village; much of it lies on winding logging roads. The soils of Mount Arvon are classic podzols...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Arvon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Arvon 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) | 7:57 AM | 90° E | 8:05 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:59 AM | 54° NE | 9:51 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 52m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:40 AM | 89° E | 7:52 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:35 AM | 125° SE | 5:08 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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:00 AM | 8:34 AM | 9:23 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:05 PM | 8h 58m |
| February | 7:27 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:41 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:49 PM | 10h 20m |
| March | 7:36 AM | 8:06 AM | 8:47 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:29 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:34 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:12 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 5:43 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:03 AM | 8:37 PM | 9:21 PM | 9:57 PM | 15h 02m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:46 AM | 9:02 PM | 9:49 PM | 10:29 PM | 15h 50m |
| July | 5:37 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:58 PM | 9:44 PM | 10:22 PM | 15h 30m |
| August | 6:18 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:38 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 7:01 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:11 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:37 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:40 AM | 8:11 AM | 8:52 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:38 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 7:23 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:43 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:53 PM | 9h 24m |
| December | 7:56 AM | 8:32 AM | 9:23 AM | 4:14 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:41 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 Mount Arvon, 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 | 6:10 AM – 6:20 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 4:13 AM – 5:03 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:19 AM – 3:59 AM | 1.7 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:41 AM – 3:01 AM | 2.3 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:18 AM – 1:58 AM | 1.7 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 11:06 PM – 11:56 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:51 PM – 9:51 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 ≈ 21.92 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 July as the clearest month (about 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 41 | 49 | 75 | 78 | 89 | 89 | 96 | 95 | 90 | 80 | 69 | 56 |
| Low °F | -19 | -25 | -20 | 6 | 22 | 30 | 42 | 41 | 29 | 15 | 0 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 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 mountain peak
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Arvon, closest first.
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When is the best time to photograph Mount Arvon?
What time is golden hour at Mount Arvon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Arvon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Arvon?
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How far is Mount Arvon from L'Anse?
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.