Barking Sands — a beach in Kauai County, Hawaii — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 12.2 km (7.6 mi) NNW of Kekaha.
Barking Sands Beach is a dune landscape of the Polihale Beach on the west coast of Kauaʻi in the U.S. state of Hawaii. You can hear a barking noise, when the sand moves.From the Wikipedia article “Barking Sands Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Barking Sands the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 64° (ENE) at the June solstice and 115° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 296° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 89° in summer but only 45° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:44 AM | 90° E | 6:51 PM | 270° W | 68° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:57 AM | 64° ENE | 7:26 PM | 296° WNW | 89° | 13h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:29 AM | 89° E | 6:37 PM | 271° W | 68° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 115° ESE | 6:02 PM | 245° WSW | 45° | 10h 47m |
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 | 6:57 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:41 PM | 10h 56m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:00 PM | 11h 26m |
| March | 6:26 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:11 PM | 12h 01m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 40m |
| May | 5:36 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:32 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:36 PM | 13h 12m |
| June | 5:31 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:29 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:50 PM | 13h 28m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:37 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:51 PM | 13h 21m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 54m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:44 PM | 7:06 PM | 12h 17m |
| October | 6:13 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:06 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 39m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:26 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:21 PM | 11h 05m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:26 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 48m |
Local time (Pacific/Honolulu), 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 Barking Sands, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 39° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| February | 4:32 AM – 5:52 AM | 1.3 | 25° | SE → SE |
| March | 2:43 AM – 5:33 AM | 2.8 | 36° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:36 AM – 4:56 AM | 4.3 | 39° | SE → S |
| May | 10:34 PM – 4:34 AM | 6.0 | 39° | SE → SSW |
| June | 8:50 PM – 4:30 AM | 7.7 | 39° | SE → SW |
| July | 8:50 PM – 3:00 AM | 6.2 | 39° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:30 PM – 1:00 AM | 4.5 | 39° | S → SW |
| September | 7:58 PM – 10:58 PM | 3.0 | 36° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:29 PM – 8:59 PM | 1.5 | 26° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.69 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (69%). 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 | 79 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 81 | 81 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 83 | 81 | 80 |
| Low °F | 66 | 66 | 65 | 68 | 70 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 74 | 71 | 66 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Waimea Bay, 15.6 km (9.7 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Barking Sands, closest first.
State Park
Waterfall
Canyon
Scenic ViewpointWaterfall
State ParkWaterfall
Natural ArchWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Barking Sands?
What time is golden hour at Barking Sands?
Where does the sun rise and set at Barking Sands?
Can you see the Milky Way from Barking Sands?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Barking Sands?
How far is Barking Sands from Kekaha?
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.