Encinitas is a city of about 62,930 people in San Diego County, California. Today the sun rises at 6:58 AM and sets at 6:11 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:38 PM – 6:27 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 | 6:53 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:32 PM | 10h 13m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:00 PM | 11h 01m |
| March | 7:00 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:25 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:20 AM | 6:53 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:45 PM | 13h 00m |
| May | 5:51 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 52m |
| June | 5:41 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:29 PM | 14h 19m |
| July | 5:52 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 08m |
| August | 6:13 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 23m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:24 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:56 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:15 PM | 10h 28m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 59m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Encinitas
At Encinitas 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 34° in winter.
Best photo spots near Encinitas
87 photo locations lie within 80 km of Encinitas. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Encinitas is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Mud Caves, about 104 km (64 mi) away (Bortle 3). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mud Caves | Cave | 104 km (64 mi) | 3 |
| Carrizo Canyon | Canyon | 104 km (65 mi) | 3 |
| Devils Canyon | Canyon | 114 km (71 mi) | 3 |
| Fish Creek Mountains Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 119 km (74 mi) | 3 |
| In-Ko-Pah Gorge | Canyon | 122 km (76 mi) | 3 |
| Salton Sea | Lake | 139 km (87 mi) | 3 |
| Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 146 km (91 mi) | 3 |
| Salton Buttes | Rock Formation | 157 km (97 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:18 AM – 5:08 AM | 0.8 | 17° |
| March | 3:30 AM – 5:30 AM | 2.0 | 24° |
| April | 1:26 AM – 4:46 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| May | 11:27 PM – 4:07 AM | 4.7 | 28° |
| June | 9:42 PM – 3:52 AM | 6.2 | 28° |
| July | 9:38 PM – 2:28 AM | 4.8 | 28° |
| August | 9:06 PM – 12:26 AM | 3.3 | 28° |
| September | 8:20 PM – 10:20 PM | 2.0 | 25° |
| October | 7:39 PM – 8:29 PM | 0.8 | 17° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 28% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (43%). August is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.