Palm Desert is a city of about 51,869 people in Riverside County, California, at 67 m (220 ft). Today the sun rises at 6:55 AM and sets at 6:07 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:33 PM – 6:22 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 | 5:00 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 7:05 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:56 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:42 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 5:46 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 5:35 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:27 PM | 14h 23m |
| July | 5:47 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:26 PM | 14h 11m |
| August | 6:08 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:33 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 | 5:39 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:18 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 | 4:39 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 56m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Palm Desert
At Palm Desert 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 Palm Desert
56 photo locations lie within 80 km of Palm Desert. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Botanical Gardens
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Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Palm Desert is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Old Woman Mountains Wilderness, about 137 km (85 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 | 137 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| Clipper Mountain Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 143 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Essex | Ghost Town | 153 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Kelso | Ghost Town | 158 km (98 mi) | 2 |
| Cibola National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 160 km (99 mi) | 2 |
| Indian Pass Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 165 km (102 mi) | 2 |
| Imperial National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 172 km (107 mi) | 2 |
| Trigo Mountains Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 174 km (108 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.