Chico is a city of about 121,345 people in Butte County, California, at 60 m (197 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:23 AM and sets at 6:22 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:45 PM – 6:39 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 | 7:27 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 40m |
| February | 7:01 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 7:20 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:30 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:54 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 22m |
| June | 5:40 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 58m |
| July | 5:53 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 43m |
| August | 6:20 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 45m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:18 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:57 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:53 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 00m |
| December | 7:22 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 22m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Chico
At Chico the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Chico
36 photo locations lie within 80 km of Chico. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
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State ParkLakes
Covered Bridges
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Covered BridgeCanyons
Mountain Peaks
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Chico is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Hot Springs, about 151 km (94 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs | Hot Spring | 151 km (94 mi) | 1 |
| Young Falls | Waterfall | 153 km (95 mi) | 1 |
| Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park | State Park | 160 km (100 mi) | 1 |
| Timbered Crater | Volcano | 163 km (101 mi) | 1 |
| Brushy Butte | Mountain Peak | 165 km (102 mi) | 1 |
| Bassett Hot Springs | Hot Spring | 169 km (105 mi) | 1 |
| Kellog Hot Springs | Hot Spring | 170 km (106 mi) | 1 |
| Lookout Point Trail | Scenic Viewpoint | 170 km (106 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:14 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| March | 4:24 AM – 5:44 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:22 AM – 4:52 AM | 2.5 | 21° |
| May | 12:25 AM – 3:55 AM | 3.5 | 21° |
| June | 10:39 PM – 3:29 AM | 4.8 | 21° |
| July | 10:31 PM – 2:11 AM | 3.7 | 21° |
| August | 9:46 PM – 12:06 AM | 2.3 | 21° |
| September | 8:49 PM – 10:09 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 7:59 PM – 8:09 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 10% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (62%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.