Located in Charlevoix County, Michigan, Fisherman's Island State Park is a state park. The nearest town is Charlevoix, about 9.9 km (6.2 mi) away (Fisherman's Island State Park lies SW of town).
Fisherman's Island State Park is a public recreation area of 2,678 acres (1,084 ha) sitting on six miles (9.7 km) of Lake Michigan shoreline southwest of Charlevoix, Michigan. It is named for a small piece of land, Fisherman Island, located some 900 feet (270 m) from the mainland. For most of the period from 1998 to 2016, historically low lake levels resulted in the island becoming attached to the mainland via a tombolo. The park's interior terrain consists largely of rolling dunes covered with maple, birch and aspen broken up by bogs of cedar and black spruce. The park is operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.From the Wikipedia article “Fisherman's Island State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fisherman's Island State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:45 AM | 90° E | 7:54 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:54 AM | 55° NE | 9:34 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 39m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:29 AM | 89° E | 7:41 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:18 AM | 124° ESE | 5:02 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 44m |
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
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:45 AM | 8:18 AM | 9:05 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:58 PM | 9h 08m |
| February | 7:14 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:26 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:39 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 7:26 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:34 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:26 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 5:38 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:39 PM | 14h 52m |
| June | 5:16 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:46 PM | 9:32 PM | 10:09 PM | 15h 38m |
| July | 5:32 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:53 AM | 8:43 PM | 9:27 PM | 10:04 PM | 15h 19m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:00 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:24 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:38 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 7:09 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:25 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 33m |
| December | 7:41 AM | 8:15 AM | 9:04 AM | 4:11 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:34 PM | 8h 46m |
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 Fisherman's Island State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:46 AM – 6:06 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:45 AM – 5:05 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:44 AM – 3:54 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:06 AM – 3:16 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:49 PM – 1:59 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:46 PM – 11:56 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:35 PM – 9:55 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.81 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 61% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 43 | 41 | 55 | 60 | 67 | 73 | 78 | 78 | 75 | 73 | 60 | 55 |
| Low °F | 1 | -10 | -3 | 15 | 31 | 37 | 49 | 54 | 44 | 35 | 18 | 11 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 2.8 | 2.5 |
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 state park
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.
Suggested gear: Versatile zoom lens, Tripod, Park pass. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Fisherman's Island State Park, closest first.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State Park
Sand Dunes
State Park
Lake
LighthouseSand DunesFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fisherman's Island State Park?
What time is golden hour at Fisherman's Island State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fisherman's Island State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fisherman's Island State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fisherman's Island State Park?
How far is Fisherman's Island State Park from Charlevoix?
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.