Cathedral City is a city of about 53,826 people in Riverside County, California, at 100 m (328 ft). Today the sun rises at 6:55 AM and sets at 6:07 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:33 PM – 6:23 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:51 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:28 PM | 10h 09m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 7:06 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 59m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:43 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:46 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 55m |
| June | 5:36 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 23m |
| July | 5:47 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:26 PM | 14h 11m |
| August | 6:09 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:19 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:25 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:55 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:10 PM | 10h 25m |
| December | 6:44 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 55m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Cathedral City
At Cathedral City the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
Best photo spots near Cathedral City
57 photo locations lie within 80 km of Cathedral City. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfalls
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallState Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Cathedral City is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Old Woman Mountains Wilderness, about 140 km (87 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from February to October, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Woman Mountains Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 140 km (87 mi) | 2 |
| Clipper Mountain Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 144 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Essex | Ghost Town | 154 km (96 mi) | 2 |
| Kelso | Ghost Town | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Cibola National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 169 km (105 mi) | 2 |
| Indian Pass Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 175 km (109 mi) | 2 |
| Aikens Arch | Natural Arch | 175 km (109 mi) | 2 |
| Goffs | Ghost Town | 181 km (112 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:25 AM – 5:05 AM | 0.7 | 16° |
| March | 3:27 AM – 5:27 AM | 2.0 | 24° |
| April | 1:35 AM – 4:45 AM | 3.2 | 27° |
| May | 11:37 PM – 4:07 AM | 4.5 | 27° |
| June | 9:43 PM – 3:43 AM | 6.0 | 27° |
| July | 9:39 PM – 2:19 AM | 4.7 | 27° |
| August | 9:05 PM – 12:15 AM | 3.2 | 27° |
| September | 8:18 PM – 10:18 PM | 2.0 | 24° |
| October | 7:36 PM – 8:16 PM | 0.7 | 17° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 15% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (41%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.