Rialto Beach is a beach in Clallam County, Washington. It lies in or next to Olympic National Park, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Forks, about 19.2 km (11.9 mi) away (Rialto Beach lies W of town).
Rialto Beach is a public beach located on the Pacific Ocean in Washington state. It is adjacent to Mora Campground in the Olympic National Park near the mouth of the Quillayute River, and is composed of an ocean beach and coastal forest. The many miles of seaside topography offer views of sea stacks and rock formations in the Pacific Ocean. Rialto Beach is north of the Quillayute River. To the south of the river is La Push Beach. The beach was named "Rialto" by the famous magician Claude Alexander Conlin after the Rialto theater chain. Conlin had a home in the 1920s at Mora, overlooking the beach and ocean, until it burned in the 1930s leaving no trace as of 1967. Rialto Beach also features a tree graveyard, with hundreds of tree trunks deposited by storms.From the Wikipedia article “Rialto Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Rialto Beach 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 308° (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) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:31 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 53° NE | 9:22 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:06 AM | 125° SE | 4:29 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 23m |
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 | 7:29 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:54 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:28 PM | 8h 49m |
| February | 6:54 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 16m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:55 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 5:04 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:28 PM | 15h 10m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:20 PM | 10:01 PM | 16h 01m |
| July | 4:57 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:54 PM | 15h 39m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 19m |
| September | 6:25 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:04 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:07 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:32 PM | 7:03 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 17m |
| December | 7:26 AM | 8:02 AM | 8:56 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:27 PM | 5:03 PM | 8h 25m |
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 Rialto Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. June gives the longest window (about 1.3 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| 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 | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:55 AM – 4:25 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:57 AM – 3:07 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:36 AM – 1:56 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 12:02 AM – 1:02 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:40 PM – 11:00 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.82 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 September as the clearest month (about 62% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (84%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 55 | 60 | 64 | 70 | 73 | 77 | 80 | 80 | 84 | 69 | 61 | 57 |
| Low °F | 22 | 24 | 33 | 35 | 40 | 46 | 49 | 50 | 47 | 36 | 24 | 25 |
| Precip. (in) | 13.9 | 8.1 | 10.5 | 6.7 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 4.1 | 9.3 | 14.2 | 12.9 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 La Push, Quillayute River, 954 m away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Rialto Beach, closest first.
Beach
Natural Arch
Beach
National Wildlife Refuge
Lake
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Rialto Beach?
What time is golden hour at Rialto Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Rialto Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Rialto Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Rialto Beach?
How far is Rialto Beach from Forks?
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.