Waimea Canyon State Park is a canyon in Kauai County, Hawaii. The nearest town is Kekaha-Waimea, about 9.8 km (6.1 mi) away (Waimea Canyon State Park lies NNE of town).
Waimea Canyon, also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific, is a large canyon, approximately ten miles (16 km) long and up to 3,000 feet (910 m) deep, located on the western side of Kauaʻi in the Hawaiian Islands of the United States. Waimea is Hawaiian for "reddish water", a reference to the erosion of the canyon's red soil. The canyon was formed by a deep incision of the Waimea River arising from the extreme rainfall on the island's central peak, Mount Waiʻaleʻale, among the wettest places on earth.From the Wikipedia article “Waimea Canyon State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Waimea Canyon State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 64° (ENE) at the June solstice and 115° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 296° (WNW) in June to 245° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 89° in summer but only 45° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:43 AM | 90° E | 6:50 PM | 270° W | 68° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:57 AM | 64° ENE | 7:26 PM | 296° WNW | 89° | 13h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:28 AM | 89° E | 6:36 PM | 271° W | 68° | 12h 08m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:14 AM | 115° ESE | 6:01 PM | 245° WSW | 45° | 10h 47m |
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
Canyons need light from above: rims glow at sunrise and sunset, while deep or narrow sections are brightest near midday when reflected light bounces off the walls.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:57 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:41 PM | 10h 56m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:00 PM | 11h 26m |
| March | 6:26 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:18 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:11 PM | 12h 01m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:29 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 40m |
| May | 5:36 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:31 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:36 PM | 13h 12m |
| June | 5:31 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:28 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:49 PM | 13h 28m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:50 PM | 13h 21m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:48 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 54m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:26 AM | 6:56 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:05 PM | 12h 17m |
| October | 6:13 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:05 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 39m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:25 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:20 PM | 11h 05m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:44 AM | 5:26 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 48m |
Local time (Pacific/Honolulu), 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 Waimea Canyon State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 39° 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 | — | 4° | — |
| February | 4:32 AM – 5:52 AM | 1.3 | 25° | SE → SE |
| March | 2:43 AM – 5:33 AM | 2.8 | 36° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:36 AM – 4:56 AM | 4.3 | 39° | SE → S |
| May | 10:34 PM – 4:34 AM | 6.0 | 39° | SE → SSW |
| June | 8:50 PM – 4:30 AM | 7.7 | 39° | SE → SW |
| July | 8:50 PM – 3:00 AM | 6.2 | 39° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:30 PM – 1:00 AM | 4.5 | 39° | S → SW |
| September | 7:58 PM – 10:58 PM | 3.0 | 36° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:29 PM – 8:59 PM | 1.5 | 26° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
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 ≈ 21.53 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (69%). September 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 | 79 | 78 | 78 | 78 | 81 | 81 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 83 | 81 | 80 |
| Low °F | 66 | 66 | 65 | 68 | 70 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 74 | 71 | 66 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
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 canyon
- Dust and sand are hard on gear; change lenses in a bag or with your back to the wind.
- A long lens on a tripod handles the low light inside canyons better than raising ISO.
- From the rim, sunrise and sunset side-light reveals layers; a telephoto picks out buttes and shadows.
- In narrow canyons, reflected light creates orange and purple glows; avoid including bright sky in the frame.
- Check flash flood forecasts before entering slot or narrow canyons — rain miles away can flood them.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Spring and autumn are comfortable; summer monsoon storms bring dramatic skies but higher flood risk in the Southwest.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Wide and telephoto lenses, Lens blower, Weather radio or app. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Waimea Canyon State Park, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
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State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Waimea Canyon State Park?
What time is golden hour at Waimea Canyon State Park?
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Can you see the Milky Way from Waimea Canyon State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Waimea Canyon State Park?
How far is Waimea Canyon State Park from Kekaha-Waimea?
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.