Alki Beach Park is a beach in King County, Washington. The nearest town is Seattle, about 6.3 km (3.9 mi) away (Alki Beach Park lies WSW of town).
Alki Beach Park is a 135.9-acre (55.0 ha) park located in the West Seattle neighborhood of Seattle, Washington that consists of the Elliott Bay beach between Alki Point and Duwamish Head. It has a 0.5 miles (0.80 km) of beachfront, and was the first public salt-water bathing beach on the west coast of the United States. It is open daily from 4am to 11:30pm. The beach has a replica of the Statue of Liberty that was installed in 1952. The Alki Point Monument memorializing Seattle's pioneer White settlers is also located in the park. Dogs are allowed in the park, but not on the beach. There is a $500.00 fine for pets on the beach. On June 27, 1959, reports of an unexploded naval mine caused the beach to be closed while police evacuated 1,000 people. The reported mine was found to be a homemade anchor with long spikes.From the Wikipedia article “Alki Beach Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Alki Beach Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:13 AM | 53° NE | 9:12 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 59m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:56 AM | 125° SE | 4:21 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 26m |
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 | 7:19 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:20 PM | 8h 52m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 4:32 AM | 5:12 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 57m |
| July | 4:49 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 36m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:58 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 19m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:45 AM | 3:27 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:55 PM | 8h 27m |
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 Alki Beach Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| April | 3:44 AM – 4:24 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:43 AM – 3:03 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:14 AM – 2:04 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:45 PM – 1:05 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:27 PM – 10:57 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 18.61 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 46% average cloud cover) and January 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 | 64 | 63 | 71 | 87 | 90 | 93 | 100 | 91 | 91 | 79 | 71 | 60 |
| Low °F | 13 | 15 | 25 | 29 | 31 | 40 | 46 | 46 | 39 | 28 | 16 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.7 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 4.8 | 7.5 | 6.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Lockheed Shipyard, Harbor Island, 3.4 km (2.1 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Alki Beach Park, closest first.
Lighthouse
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
LighthouseLighthouse
Lake
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Alki Beach Park?
What time is golden hour at Alki Beach Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Alki Beach Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Alki Beach Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Alki Beach Park?
How far is Alki Beach Park from Seattle?
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.