Agate Beach County Park and Iceberg Point Trail — a beach in San Juan County, Washington — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It lies in or next to San Juan Island National Historical Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Friday Harbor, about 15.7 km (9.8 mi) away (Agate Beach County Park and Iceberg Point Trail lies SE of town).
From the National Park Service
Agate Beach is a small but stunning public beach that is part of San Juan Island's County park system. On Agate Beach, visitors can launch kayaks, have a picnic, and watch for passing killer whales. At low tides, tidepools are revealed, enabling visitors to explore the normally hidden undersea world.
To access the Iceberg Point trail, continue down the gravel road that heads uphill at the Agate Beach parking lot. A sign will direct you to the two mile Iceberg Point Trail, which provides cliffside views of the Olympic Peninsula. Multiple breathtaking viewpoints are enabled by a trail network that leads to sea viewing spots and abundant wildflowers can be seen here in the spring time.
Text: National Park Service (public domain) — nps.gov.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Agate Beach County Park and Iceberg Point Trail the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:15 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:11 AM | 52° NE | 9:17 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:01 AM | 126° SE | 4:20 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 18m |
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 | 7:23 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:50 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:20 PM | 8h 46m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 14m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 4:55 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 13m |
| June | 4:28 AM | 5:10 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:57 PM | 16h 05m |
| July | 4:47 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 43m |
| August | 5:32 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 21m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:55 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 14m |
| December | 7:21 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:52 AM | 3:23 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:54 PM | 8h 20m |
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 Agate Beach County Park and Iceberg Point Trail, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 4:01 AM – 4:21 AM | 0.3 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:56 AM – 2:56 AM | 1.0 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:50 AM – 1:30 AM | 0.7 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 12:03 AM – 12:43 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:36 PM – 10:46 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.35 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 44% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (83%). 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 | 58 | 68 | 69 | 83 | 91 | 91 | 94 | 94 | 93 | 78 | 64 | 58 |
| Low °F | 10 | 15 | 21 | 28 | 36 | 42 | 47 | 46 | 41 | 28 | 15 | 11 |
| Precip. (in) | 7.4 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 8.1 | 6.7 |
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
- 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.
- Fog and marine layers can make minimalist images; don't give up on grey days.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is Aleck Bay, Lopez Island, 1.9 km (1.2 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Agate Beach County Park and Iceberg Point Trail, closest first.
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LighthouseFAQ
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Sources
Location data: National Park Service. 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.