Waikiki Beach — a beach in Pacific County, Washington — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 7.9 km (4.9 mi) S of Long Beach.
Cape Disappointment State Park (formerly Fort Canby State Park) is a public recreation area on Cape Disappointment, located southwest of Ilwaco, Washington, on the bottom end of Long Beach Peninsula, the northern headlands where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. The state park's 2,023 acres (819 ha) encompass a diverse landscape of old-growth forest, freshwater lakes, freshwater and saltwater marshes, and oceanside tidelands. Park sites include Fort Canby, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, North Head Lighthouse, and Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. Cape Disappointment is one of several state parks and sites in Washington and Oregon that are included in Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.From the Wikipedia article “Cape Disappointment State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Waikiki Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:20 AM | 89° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 54° NE | 9:13 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:04 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:57 AM | 124° SE | 4:33 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 36m |
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 | 7:22 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:44 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 01m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 7:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 34m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 59m |
| June | 4:46 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 46m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 26m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:25 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:04 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:31 PM | 7:02 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 7:19 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 38m |
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 Waikiki Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:32 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:34 AM – 4:34 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:28 AM – 3:18 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:55 PM – 2:35 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:35 PM – 1:25 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 11:16 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:12 PM – 9:22 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.64 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 64% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (86%). 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 | 56 | 57 | 60 | 66 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 71 | 71 | 64 | 61 | 59 |
| Low °F | 30 | 29 | 36 | 39 | 43 | 48 | 53 | 53 | 50 | 41 | 33 | 31 |
| Precip. (in) | 11.0 | 7.1 | 8.4 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 7.2 | 11.7 | 11.3 |
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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Cape Disappointment, 982 m away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Waikiki Beach, closest first.
Ghost Town
Lighthouse
State Park
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State Park
Lighthouse
National Wildlife RefugeLighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Waikiki Beach?
What time is golden hour at Waikiki Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Waikiki Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Waikiki Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Waikiki Beach?
How far is Waikiki Beach from Long Beach?
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.