Eureka is a city of about 27,017 people in Humboldt County, California. Today the sun rises at 7:34 AM and sets at 6:30 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:53 PM – 6:47 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 | 7:39 AM | 8:22 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 34m |
| February | 7:12 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 40m |
| March | 7:29 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:38 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 6:00 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 27m |
| June | 5:45 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 05m |
| July | 5:59 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 49m |
| August | 6:28 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 49m |
| September | 6:58 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:38 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 7:05 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 7:35 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 16m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Eureka
At Eureka 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 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
Best photo spots near Eureka
28 photo locations lie within 80 km of Eureka. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
State Parks
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State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
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LighthouseBotanical Gardens
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Eureka is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Punta Gorda Light, about 63 km (39 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 8.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punta Gorda Light | Lighthouse | 63 km (39 mi) | 1 |
| Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park | State Park | 68 km (42 mi) | 1 |
| King Range Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 71 km (44 mi) | 1 |
| Sue-meg State Park | State Park | 74 km (46 mi) | 1 |
| Ishi Pishi Falls | Waterfall | 85 km (53 mi) | 1 |
| Richardson Grove State Park | State Park | 93 km (58 mi) | 1 |
| Lookout Point Trail | Scenic Viewpoint | 93 km (58 mi) | 1 |
| Needle Rock | Natural Arch | 97 km (60 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:34 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.0 | 11° |
| March | 4:45 AM – 5:55 AM | 1.2 | 17° |
| April | 2:45 AM – 4:55 AM | 2.2 | 20° |
| May | 12:41 AM – 4:01 AM | 3.3 | 20° |
| June | 10:57 PM – 3:37 AM | 4.7 | 20° |
| July | 10:48 PM – 2:08 AM | 3.3 | 20° |
| August | 10:00 PM – 12:10 AM | 2.2 | 20° |
| September | 9:01 PM – 10:11 PM | 1.2 | 17° |
| October | 8:09 PM – 8:09 PM | 0.0 | 11° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 61% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (78%). August is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.