Barrington Beach is a beach in Bristol County, Rhode Island. It sits roughly 2.1 km (1.3 mi) S of Barrington.
Barrington Beach is a beach located in Barrington, Rhode Island, United States. It has 4 acres (1.6 ha) of beachfront overlooking Narragansett Bay. The length of the shore is 700 feet (210 m). It is located in the East Bay region of Rhode Island. The beach went under massive construction in 2011, after changing the design and water supply because of Providence dumping their waste and sewage into the waters of the bay. The construction ended in May 2014.From the Wikipedia article “Barrington Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Barrington 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 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:12 AM | 57° ENE | 8:24 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 13m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:33 AM | 89° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:10 AM | 122° ESE | 4:18 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 09m |
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 | 7:11 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:13 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:37 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:55 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 4:55 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 4:37 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:56 PM | 15h 11m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:25 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:33 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:05 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:17 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 6:35 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:51 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:48 PM | 9h 10m |
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 Barrington 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 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | 4:15 AM – 5:15 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:16 AM – 4:16 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 | 9:33 PM – 11:33 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:31 PM – 9:31 PM | 1.0 | 16° | 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.63 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 52% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (69%). 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 | 54 | 67 | 82 | 82 | 90 | 96 | 92 | 89 | 81 | 72 | 65 |
| Low °F | 0 | -3 | 9 | 24 | 36 | 44 | 54 | 55 | 47 | 31 | 17 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.2 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.3 |
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.
- 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 Conimicut Light, 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 Barrington Beach, closest first.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State Park
Lighthouse
State Park
State Park
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Botanical GardenFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Barrington Beach?
What time is golden hour at Barrington Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Barrington Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Barrington Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Barrington Beach?
How far is Barrington Beach from Barrington?
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.