Narragansett Town Beach is a beach in Washington County, Rhode Island. It sits roughly 600 m NNE of Narragansett Pier.
Narragansett Town Beach is a public recreation area encompassing 19 acres (7.7 ha) on the eastern edge of the town of Narragansett, Rhode Island, and south of the western passage that connects the Narragansett Bay to the open waters of Rhode Island Sound. The southern shoreline is rocky with a concrete sea wall constructed upland, while the northeast end of the beach is characterized by the entrance to Narrow River and Cormorant Point. The town beach offers picnicking, ocean swimming, changing rooms, surfing, and beach activities for approximately the first half mile of the beach, while the northeast end remains privately owned. The beach and dunes provide an important wildlife habitat for certain species of shorebirds, including piping plovers.From the Wikipedia article “Narragansett Town Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Narragansett Town Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (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 | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 57° ENE | 8:24 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:09 AM | 121° ESE | 4:20 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 10m |
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 | 7:10 AM | 7:53 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 31m |
| February | 6:14 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:31 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:44 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:55 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 30m |
| June | 4:38 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:56 PM | 15h 09m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 53m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:25 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:34 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:05 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:16 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 6:34 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:50 AM | 3:33 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:49 PM | 9h 12m |
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 Narragansett Town Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | 4:15 AM – 5:15 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:16 AM – 4:16 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:14 AM – 3:24 AM | 3.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:32 PM – 3:02 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:22 PM – 1:32 AM | 3.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:33 PM – 11:33 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:32 PM – 9:32 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:39 PM – 7:39 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| 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 ≈ 18.95 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
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Narragansett Pier, 1.7 km (1.1 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Narragansett Town Beach, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
Lighthouse
State ParkLighthouse
Lighthouse
Beach
State Park
Lighthouse
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Narragansett Town Beach?
What time is golden hour at Narragansett Town Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Narragansett Town Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Narragansett Town Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Narragansett Town Beach?
How far is Narragansett Town Beach from Narragansett Pier?
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.