Scarborough Beach — a beach in Washington County, Rhode Island — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Narragansett Pier, about 4.9 km (3.0 mi) away (Scarborough Beach lies SSW of town).
Scarborough State Beach is a public recreation area fronting the Atlantic Ocean in the town of Narragansett, Rhode Island. The state park occupies 60 acres (24 ha) comprising two units located at 870 and 970 Ocean Road. The beach offers saltwater bathing, picnicking, observation tower, and boardwalk and is open seasonally. The stone ruins of part of the Windswept Estate mansion also reside by the beach. The State Government purchased the ruins in an effort to preserve them and save them from demolition.From the Wikipedia article “Scarborough Beach (Rhode Island)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Scarborough 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 10m |
| 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 11m |
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 | 3:59 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 | 4:57 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 30m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:13 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 | 3:47 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 53m |
| December | 6:34 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:50 AM | 3:34 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 Scarborough 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 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 | — | -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: 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 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 Point Judith, Harbor of Refuge, 3.3 km (2.0 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Scarborough Beach, closest first.
State Park
Beach
Lighthouse
BeachBeach
National Wildlife Refuge
LighthouseBeach
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Scarborough Beach?
What time is golden hour at Scarborough Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Scarborough Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Scarborough Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Scarborough Beach?
How far is Scarborough Beach from Narragansett Pier?
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.