Located in Mendocino County, California, Bowling Ball Beach is a beach. It is part of Schooner Gulch State Beach. The nearest town is Sea Ranch, about 25 km (15 mi) away (Bowling Ball Beach lies NW of town).
Bowling Ball Beach is a part of Schooner Gulch State Beach, in Mendocino County, California, in the United States. It is named for the spherical sandstone concretions found there at low tide.From the Wikipedia article “Bowling Ball Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bowling Ball Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 90° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 59° ENE | 8:44 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:30 AM | 120° ESE | 4:57 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 26m |
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
Beaches facing east suit sunrise and west-facing beaches suit sunset; wet sand mirrors the sky color during golden hour.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:03 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 7:00 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 18m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:30 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 53m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 38m |
| August | 6:01 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:58 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:31 PM | 10h 04m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 28m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Bowling Ball Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:22 AM – 5:32 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:31 AM – 5:51 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 4:57 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:28 AM – 4:08 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:40 PM – 3:50 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:33 PM – 2:23 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 12:20 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:55 PM – 10:15 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:06 PM – 8:26 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.67 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 45% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (63%). September 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 | 63 | 63 | 62 | 71 | 76 | 73 | 65 | 70 | 74 | 76 | 66 | 62 |
| Low °F | 41 | 43 | 42 | 45 | 46 | 49 | 50 | 53 | 53 | 51 | 45 | 43 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.3 | 6.7 | 5.1 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 4.2 | 8.6 |
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 beach
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- Watch for sneaker waves; never turn your back on the ocean on exposed coasts.
- Salt spray coats lenses quickly; wipe often and rinse gear afterward.
- Fog and marine layers can make minimalist images; don't give up on grey days.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Winter storms bring dramatic surf on Pacific coasts; summer and autumn sunsets are popular on Atlantic and Gulf beaches.
Suggested gear: Tripod, ND filters, Rain cover, Lens cloths. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is ARENA COVE, 6.7 km (4.1 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Bowling Ball Beach, closest first.
State Park
Natural ArchNatural ArchNatural Arch
Lighthouse
State ParkNatural ArchFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bowling Ball Beach?
What time is golden hour at Bowling Ball Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bowling Ball Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bowling Ball Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bowling Ball Beach?
How far is Bowling Ball Beach from Sea Ranch?
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.