Located in Sonoma County, California, Goat Rock Beach is a beach. The nearest town is Monte Rio, about 10.4 km (6.5 mi) away (Goat Rock Beach lies WSW of town).
Goat Rock Beach is a sand beach in northwestern Sonoma County, California, United States. This landform is a sub-unit of Sonoma Coast State Beach, owned and managed by the State of California. At the northern terminus of Goat Rock Beach is the mouth of the Russian River, and the southern end of this crescent shaped expanse is the massive Goat Rock, an iconic outcrop of the Sonoma Coast, which is barely attached to the mainland by a narrow isthmus.From the Wikipedia article “Goat Rock Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Goat Rock 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 301° (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) | 7:17 AM | 90° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 59° ENE | 8:41 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 51m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:27 AM | 120° ESE | 4:56 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 29m |
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 | 7:00 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 47m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:51 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 47m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 16m |
| June | 5:17 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 50m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 35m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 40m |
| September | 6:28 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:29 PM | 10h 06m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 30m |
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 Goat Rock 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 23° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:10 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:29 AM – 5:49 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:24 AM – 4:54 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:25 AM – 4:05 AM | 3.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:37 PM – 3:47 AM | 5.2 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:30 PM – 2:20 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:47 PM – 12:17 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 10:23 PM | 1.5 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:04 PM – 8:24 PM | 0.3 | 13° | 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.08 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
- 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.
- Time visits around low tide to reveal tide pools, sea stacks and reflective sand — check the tide widget below.
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Fort Ross, 12.7 km (7.9 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Goat Rock Beach, closest first.
Natural Arch
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
Mountain Peak
Beach
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Goat Rock Beach?
What time is golden hour at Goat Rock Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Goat Rock Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Goat Rock Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Goat Rock Beach?
How far is Goat Rock Beach from Monte Rio?
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.