Turnip Rock — a rock formation in Huron County, Michigan — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Bad Axe, about 30 km (19 mi) away (Turnip Rock lies N of town).
Turnip Rock is a small geological formation in Michigan. It is a stack located in Lake Huron, in shallow water a few yards offshore, near the rock called the Thumbnail which is the extreme tip of Pointe Aux Barques, a small peninsula in Pointe Aux Barques Township which in turn is the extreme tip of The Thumb, a large peninsula comprising several counties in eastern Michigan. Turnip Rock has been severely undercut by wave action, so that its top has a significantly larger cross-section than its base. Its consequent unusual form, reminiscent of a turnip, has made it a popular tourist attraction, although it is located entirely on private property. The only access to Turnip Rock is by water, and there is no public road access. A concrete collar has been built around the base of Turnip Rock at the waterline to stop further undercutting. Turnip Rock was one of twenty finalists in the...From the Wikipedia article “Turnip Rock”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Turnip Rock 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 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:36 AM | 90° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 56° NE | 9:19 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:20 AM | 89° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:04 AM | 123° ESE | 4:57 PM | 238° WSW | 22° | 8h 53m |
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
Rock towers and buttes glow red and orange in the first and last half-hour of sun; midday light flattens their shape.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:32 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:50 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:52 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 7:03 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:13 AM | 5:21 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:31 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 7:16 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:23 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:07 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:19 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:48 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:17 PM | 9:54 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 5:28 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:46 AM | 8:30 PM | 9:14 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:13 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 7:18 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:26 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:57 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:28 AM | 8:01 AM | 8:48 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:28 PM | 8h 54m |
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 Turnip Rock, 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 2 (typical truly dark 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:25 AM – 6:05 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:21 AM – 5:01 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:26 AM – 3:56 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:42 PM – 3:22 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:28 PM – 1:58 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:30 PM – 12:00 AM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:23 PM – 9:53 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.82 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 72% average cloud cover) and April as the cloudiest (87%). 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 | 48 | 45 | 52 | 56 | 67 | 73 | 80 | 80 | 75 | 72 | 59 | 55 |
| Low °F | 4 | -5 | 1 | 19 | 32 | 39 | 53 | 57 | 47 | 37 | 20 | 11 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 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 rock formation
- Use the sunrise and sunset azimuths below to know which face will be lit.
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Turnip Rock, closest first.
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When is the best time to photograph Turnip Rock?
What time is golden hour at Turnip Rock?
Where does the sun rise and set at Turnip Rock?
Can you see the Milky Way from Turnip Rock?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Turnip Rock?
How far is Turnip Rock from Bad Axe?
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.