Collins Beach is a beach in Columbia County, Oregon. It sits roughly 4.4 km (2.7 mi) SW of Ridgefield.
Collins Beach is a sandy beach on the Columbia River side of Sauvie Island in Oregon, United States, located north of Portland. Part of it is a clothing-optional area. The beach is one mile (1.6 km) long and begins about 0.25 miles (400 m) after Reeder Road becomes gravel. Hours are 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day. The beach has been popular for nude use since at least the 1970s. It is surrounded by a 12,000-acre (49 km2) fish and game reserve, except for a 10-acre (4.0 ha) parcel of privately owned land west of Reeder Road at the north boundary of Collins Beach. Nude beach users continue onto the non-nude North Unit Beach which is poorly delineated and ineffectively screened from view, which has led to a legal complaint by the property owners. Collins Beach is one of two official clothing-optional beaches in Oregon after Glass Bar Island's in Eugene, Oregon closed. The other...From the Wikipedia article “Collins Beach (Sauvie Island)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Collins Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:15 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 54° NE | 9:05 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 43m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:50 AM | 124° SE | 4:30 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 40m |
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 | 7:16 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:37 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 04m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 32m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 56m |
| June | 4:43 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 42m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:36 PM | 15h 22m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 09m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:58 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:57 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 29m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:36 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 42m |
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 Collins Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:17 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:17 AM – 4:27 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:18 AM – 3:18 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:43 PM – 2:33 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:24 PM – 1:24 AM | 2.0 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:18 PM – 11:18 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:06 PM – 9:16 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 19.76 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 July as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). August is the warmest month and December 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 | 62 | 66 | 74 | 84 | 93 | 100 | 105 | 104 | 101 | 87 | 67 | 61 |
| Low °F | 8 | 15 | 22 | 27 | 33 | 39 | 45 | 44 | 36 | 24 | 15 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.4 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 8.6 | 9.7 |
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
- 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.
- Watch for sneaker waves; never turn your back on the ocean on exposed coasts.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Multnomah Channel, 3.6 km (2.2 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Collins Beach, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
Lighthouse
Lake
State Park
Waterfall
Botanical Garden
Lake
Lighthouse
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Collins Beach?
What time is golden hour at Collins Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Collins Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Collins Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Collins Beach?
How far is Collins Beach from Ridgefield?
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.