Fish Point Wildlife Area Dune and Swale Complex (Possible) is a sand dunes in Tuscola County, Michigan at about 183 m (600 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Essexville, about 17.0 km (10.6 mi) away (Fish Point Wildlife Area Dune and Swale Complex (Possible) lies E of town).
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fish Point Wildlife Area Dune and Swale Complex (Possible) 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) | 7:39 AM | 90° E | 7:47 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:54 AM | 56° NE | 9:20 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:06 AM | 123° ESE | 5:01 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
Dunes need low sun: ripples and ridgelines only appear when side-light casts shadows, so shoot within an hour of sunrise or sunset.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:34 AM | 8:06 AM | 8:51 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:55 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 7:05 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:34 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:26 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:09 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:23 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:37 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:26 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 5:17 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:37 AM | 8:35 PM | 9:18 PM | 9:54 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 5:33 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:50 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 6:09 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:46 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:16 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:20 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:28 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:58 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 7:29 AM | 8:02 AM | 8:49 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:32 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 Fish Point Wildlife Area Dune and Swale Complex (Possible), the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:27 AM – 6:07 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:22 AM – 5:02 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:25 AM – 4:05 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:39 PM – 3:29 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:27 PM – 2:07 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:31 PM – 12:11 AM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:25 PM – 10:05 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.38 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 sand dunes
- Sand surfaces get extremely hot in summer afternoons.
- Walk along ridges rather than across faces to avoid leaving footprints in your future compositions.
- A telephoto isolates S-curves and layered ridges.
- Wind erases tracks overnight — mornings have the cleanest sand.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring and autumn for comfortable temperatures; full moon nights give soft light on the sand.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lens blower, Sun protection, Water. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Fish Point Wildlife Area Dune and Swale Complex (Possible), closest first.
Lighthouse
State Park
Sand DunesFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fish Point Wildlife Area Dune and Swale Complex (Possible)?
What time is golden hour at Fish Point Wildlife Area Dune and Swale Complex (Possible)?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fish Point Wildlife Area Dune and Swale Complex (Possible)?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fish Point Wildlife Area Dune and Swale Complex (Possible)?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fish Point Wildlife Area Dune and Swale Complex (Possible)?
How far is Fish Point Wildlife Area Dune and Swale Complex (Possible) from Essexville?
Sources
Location data: USGS GNIS / GeoNames. 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.