Located in Citrus County, Florida, Fort Island Gulf Beach is a beach. The nearest town is Crystal River, about 9.6 km (6.0 mi) away (Fort Island Gulf Beach lies W of town).
The following is list of beaches in the U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. Beaches occur both on the ocean shoreline and inland on lakes, rivers, etc. This list is organized by major coastline. States with large numbers of beaches are listed on linked subarticles.From the Wikipedia article “List of beaches in the United States”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fort Island Gulf Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 63° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 244° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 85° in summer but only 38° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:36 AM | 90° E | 7:43 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:34 AM | 63° ENE | 8:33 PM | 298° WNW | 85° | 13h 59m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:20 AM | 89° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 117° ESE | 5:38 PM | 244° WSW | 38° | 10h 18m |
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 | 7:26 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:21 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 30m |
| February | 6:46 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 11m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:13 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:03 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:41 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:25 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 52m |
| May | 6:15 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 35m |
| June | 6:06 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:31 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 59m |
| July | 6:16 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:32 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 49m |
| August | 6:36 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 11m |
| September | 6:53 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:01 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:09 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 30m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 43m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 19m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Fort Island Gulf Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 32° 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 | 4:51 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.8 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:59 AM – 6:19 AM | 2.3 | 29° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:50 AM – 5:40 AM | 3.8 | 32° | SE → S |
| May | 11:55 PM – 5:05 AM | 5.2 | 32° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:07 PM – 4:57 AM | 6.8 | 32° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:05 PM – 3:25 AM | 5.3 | 32° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 1:27 AM | 3.8 | 32° | S → SW |
| September | 8:57 PM – 11:27 PM | 2.5 | 29° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:21 PM – 9:21 PM | 1.0 | 20° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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 ≈ 21.17 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show April as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (68%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 82 | 85 | 92 | 95 | 97 | 97 | 96 | 94 | 92 | 90 | 86 | 83 |
| Low °F | 26 | 30 | 36 | 44 | 57 | 68 | 71 | 70 | 61 | 43 | 37 | 31 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 9.0 | 9.1 | 9.6 | 6.9 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.6 |
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
- 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.
- Time visits around low tide to reveal tide pools, sea stacks and reflective sand — check the tide widget below.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Shell Island, north end, 1.7 km (1.1 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Fort Island Gulf Beach, closest first.
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fort Island Gulf Beach?
What time is golden hour at Fort Island Gulf Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fort Island Gulf Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fort Island Gulf Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fort Island Gulf Beach?
How far is Fort Island Gulf Beach from Crystal River?
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.