Located in Monterey County, California, Sand Dollar Beach is a beach. It sits roughly 44 km (28 mi) SW of King City.
Sand Dollar Beach is a .5 miles (0.80 km) long beach in Big Sur, California, one of the longest publicly accessible beaches on that coast. It is within the Los Padres National Forest. The beach is 3.7 miles (6.0 km) north of the small commercial center of Gorda and 38.5 miles (62.0 km) north of Cambria. It is 25 miles (40 km) south of Big Sur Village on Highway 1.From the Wikipedia article “Sand Dollar Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sand Dollar Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 60° ENE | 8:26 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 119° ESE | 4:56 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 43m |
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 | 6:48 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 59m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 04m |
| June | 5:20 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 35m |
| July | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 22m |
| August | 5:58 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:31 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:20 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 17m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 44m |
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 Sand Dollar Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:54 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:59 AM – 5:49 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:00 AM – 5:00 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:06 AM – 4:16 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:15 PM – 3:55 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:09 PM – 2:29 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:32 PM – 12:32 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 10:21 PM | 1.7 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:57 PM – 8:27 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| 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 ≈ 21.65 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 72 | 73 | 77 | 80 | 78 | 87 | 81 | 83 | 85 | 85 | 82 | 73 |
| Low °F | 38 | 43 | 44 | 44 | 47 | 50 | 52 | 54 | 53 | 51 | 44 | 41 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 3.1 |
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 Mansfield Cone, 3.1 km (1.9 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Sand Dollar Beach, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Plaskett Creek Campground810 m · reservable
- Kirk Creek Campground7.9 km (4.9 mi) · reservable
- Ponderosa Campground12.3 km (7.6 mi) · reservable
- Memorial Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Escondido Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sand Dollar Beach?
What time is golden hour at Sand Dollar Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sand Dollar Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sand Dollar Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sand Dollar Beach?
How far is Sand Dollar Beach from King City?
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.