North Highlands is a city of about 42,694 people in Sacramento County, California. Today the sun rises at 7:20 AM and sets at 6:21 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:45 PM – 6:38 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 | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 46m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:30 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:54 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 5:41 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 51m |
| July | 5:54 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 6:20 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 41m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 29m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in North Highlands
At North Highlands the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
Best photo spots near North Highlands
40 photo locations lie within 80 km of North Highlands. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallState Parks
State Park
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State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central North Highlands is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Caribou, about 156 km (97 mi) away (Bortle 2). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caribou | Ghost Town | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Indian Falls | Waterfall | 157 km (98 mi) | 2 |
| Plumas National Forest | National Forest | 158 km (98 mi) | 2 |
| Leavitt Falls | Waterfall | 163 km (101 mi) | 2 |
| Silver Falls | Waterfall | 163 km (101 mi) | 2 |
| Lower Deer Creek Falls | Waterfall | 166 km (103 mi) | 2 |
| Indian Valley Hot Springs | Hot Spring | 166 km (103 mi) | 2 |
| Cascade Falls | Waterfall | 167 km (104 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:12 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:21 AM – 5:41 AM | 1.3 | 19° |
| April | 2:17 AM – 4:47 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:18 AM – 3:58 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:30 PM – 3:40 AM | 5.2 | 22° |
| July | 10:23 PM – 2:13 AM | 3.8 | 22° |
| August | 9:40 PM – 12:10 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 8:45 PM – 10:05 PM | 1.3 | 19° |
| October | 7:56 PM – 8:16 PM | 0.3 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 11% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (60%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.