Duxbury Beach — a beach in Plymouth County, Massachusetts — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 3.0 km (1.9 mi) E of Duxbury.
Duxbury Beach is a barrier beach in the town of Duxbury, Massachusetts. It is six miles long and is accessed by the Powder Point Bridge from Duxbury, or Gurnet Road from Marshfield. Since 1975, approximately 4.5 miles of the beach is owned by Duxbury Beach Reservation, Inc, which annually leases a substantial portion of the beach—excepting the Duxbury Beach Park area—to the town of Duxbury. Under this arrangement, the town issues beach vehicle permits, provides police protection, and provides conservation officers to patrol the beach in all seasons of the year. It is 50 yards wide at some points, and is the sole land access to the villages of Saquish and Gurnet Point across the town line in Plymouth, the only land area where the two towns meet. The northern residential end is protected by an Army Corps Of Engineers concrete seawall. The beach is near Plymouth Light and the remains...From the Wikipedia article “Duxbury Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Duxbury Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:47 AM | 90° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:08 AM | 57° ENE | 8:22 PM | 303° WNW | 71° | 15h 15m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:31 AM | 89° E | 6:42 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:08 AM | 122° ESE | 4:15 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 06m |
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 | 6:38 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 6:11 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:19 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 6:28 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:17 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:53 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:29 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 4:33 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 15h 14m |
| July | 4:47 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 57m |
| August | 5:21 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 5:55 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:00 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:27 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:31 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:03 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:15 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 6:33 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:50 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:44 PM | 9h 08m |
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 Duxbury Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 6 (bright 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:23 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:15 AM – 4:15 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:24 AM – 3:24 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:33 PM – 2:53 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:23 PM – 1:33 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:32 PM – 11:32 PM | 2.0 | 18° | S → SW |
| September | 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM | 1.0 | 15° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.16 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (70%). August 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 | 58 | 56 | 67 | 76 | 79 | 84 | 88 | 89 | 86 | 77 | 67 | 62 |
| Low °F | -1 | -1 | 8 | 27 | 37 | 46 | 55 | 56 | 49 | 36 | 18 | 9 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 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
- 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.
- 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 Duxbury, Duxbury Harbor, 2.9 km (1.8 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Duxbury Beach, closest first.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State Park
Lake
National Wildlife Refuge
Beach
Lake
Lake
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Duxbury Beach?
What time is golden hour at Duxbury Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Duxbury Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Duxbury Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Duxbury Beach?
How far is Duxbury Beach from Duxbury?
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.