Sand Lakes Quiet Area (Lake 1)

This image was taken from the west end of Sand Lake No. 1 at Sand Lakes Quiet Area near Traverse City. To get here, you'll need to drive. From Traverse City, take US31-N east out of town, and then turn right onto M-72. Travel east for about 5 miles, going straight through both roundabouts, and then turn right onto Broomhead Road. There will be small brown signs indicating Sand Lakes Quiet Area. Stay on Broomhead (mostly gravel) for about 4.5 miles. Broomhead has two big right angle turns, so make sure you follow the signs. There will be a Sands Lakes Quiet Area Parking Lot, but do not park here. Instead, turn left onto Sand Lakes Road. This is a mostly unmaintained road, though most vehicles won't have trouble unless it's snowy. Continue east on Sand Lakes Road for about half a mile until you arrive at the second Sand Lakes Quiet Area parking lot and park your car. Begin the hike down to Sand Lake #1 at the trailhead behind the yellow gate. It's a path wide enough for cars, but only DNR vehicles are allowed. On foot, hike in about half a mile. The North Country Trail joins/crosses the Sand Lakes Trail here at post 5. Continue to the right and then very shortly (a few yards), turn left downhill toward the lake. You will descend past two vault toilets just in from the trail on the left. Walk around this western end of the lake until you have the sunrise positioned similarly in the frame; there will be lots of options.

The sunrise at Sand Lakes Quiet Area lines up with the western end of the lake late-August through early-October.

Silhouettes and early morning fog are best captured in blue hour, just before sunrise. The area is gorgeous and very photogenic after the sun rises as well, but the character of the light changes significantly from my image.

You may need to stand slightly in the water for this, so make sure to wear waterproof shoes.

Try aligning your camera with the rising sun, positioning some reeds in the foreground for visual interest.

Since this set-up features very calm water, I like to position the horizon right in the middle to highlight the symmetry, but also showing off the rising fog.

Using a wide-angle lens, plus an aperture of f/10, will bring a broad depth of field and sharpness to your photo. Plus, in the low light conditions, it will allow for a 1-second exposure without use of filters, further smoothing the water.

Hang around after sunrise to capture more foggy features of Sand Lakes Quiet Area. The lake itself is a very pretty green and will photograph well during golden hour.

This trail is part of a bigger loop that's a nice hike and it's also connected to the North Country Trail if you want to add up some miles.

The loop is a fun mountain bike ride! Camping is allowed right on this lake, so you could also camp here and take night shots or sunset shots from the other side of the lake.