Higgins Beach — a beach in Cumberland County, Maine — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Scarborough, about 3.3 km (2.1 mi) away (Higgins Beach lies ESE of town).
Higgins Beach is a small beach located in the state of Maine, United States. It is located in the town of Scarborough in Cumberland County. The beach is north of Prouts Neck and Old Orchard Beach and south of Crescent Beach State Park. This northeast-southwest trending beach measures approximately 0.6 miles (1.0 km) and is approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of Portland and 110 miles (177 km) north of Boston. It lies between bedrocks at the southwest, sometimes known as Thunder Cove, and the Spurwink River on the northeastern end. This small seaside community has approximately 300 cottages. In addition, the community has two inns (The Breakers and the Higgins Beach Inn) which are open during the summer season. The Higgins Beach Inn was built in the 1890s as a summer home and was converted to an inn by Edward Higgins around the turn of the 20th century.From the Wikipedia article “Higgins Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Higgins Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:45 AM | 90° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:01 AM | 56° NE | 8:27 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:29 AM | 89° E | 6:40 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:12 AM | 123° ESE | 4:08 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 56m |
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 | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:11 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:41 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:26 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:29 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 4:44 AM | 5:17 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 42m |
| June | 4:24 AM | 5:00 AM | 5:44 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:14 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:56 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:16 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:18 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 5:52 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:28 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:05 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:19 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:48 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 6:35 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:19 PM | 4:06 PM | 4:39 PM | 8h 58m |
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 Higgins Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:33 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:28 AM – 4:08 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:31 AM – 3:11 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:45 PM – 2:35 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:33 PM – 1:13 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:37 PM – 11:17 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:31 PM – 9:11 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.62 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (66%). 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 | 60 | 61 | 73 | 85 | 83 | 89 | 90 | 95 | 94 | 79 | 68 | 62 |
| Low °F | -11 | -12 | -6 | 18 | 31 | 40 | 51 | 48 | 39 | 25 | 8 | -9 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 5.0 |
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
- 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.
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- 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 Pine Point, Scarborough River, 4.7 km (2.9 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Higgins Beach, closest first.
Beach
State Park
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Waterfall
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Higgins Beach?
What time is golden hour at Higgins Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Higgins Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Higgins Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Higgins Beach?
How far is Higgins Beach from Scarborough?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.