Palm Springs is a city of about 47,371 people in Riverside County, California, at 146 m (479 ft). Today the sun rises at 6:56 AM and sets at 6:07 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:33 PM – 6:23 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 | 6:52 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:28 PM | 10h 09m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 7:06 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 59m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:43 PM | 13h 02m |
| May | 5:46 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 55m |
| June | 5:36 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 23m |
| July | 5:47 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:27 PM | 14h 11m |
| August | 6:09 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:19 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:52 AM | 7:25 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:55 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:11 PM | 10h 25m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 55m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Palm Springs
At Palm Springs 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 Springs
66 photo locations lie within 80 km of Palm Springs. 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 Springs is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Old Woman Mountains Wilderness, about 143 km (89 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 | 143 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Clipper Mountain Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 145 km (90 mi) | 2 |
| Kelso | Ghost Town | 155 km (96 mi) | 2 |
| Essex | Ghost Town | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Aikens Arch | Natural Arch | 173 km (108 mi) | 2 |
| Cibola National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 178 km (111 mi) | 2 |
| Goffs | Ghost Town | 182 km (113 mi) | 2 |
| Cima | Ghost Town | 184 km (114 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.