Patterson is a city of about 21,498 people in Stanislaus County, California. Today the sun rises at 7:18 AM and sets at 6:22 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:46 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 | 7:19 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:39 PM | 9h 52m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:31 AM | 5:08 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 50m |
| March | 7:16 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:30 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 5:56 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 11m |
| June | 5:44 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 44m |
| July | 5:56 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 30m |
| August | 6:21 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 37m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:17 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:23 PM | 10h 10m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 36m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Patterson
At Patterson 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
Best photo spots near Patterson
42 photo locations lie within 80 km of Patterson. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
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State Park
State Park
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State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Covered Bridges
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Patterson is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Tenaya Lake, about 152 km (95 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenaya Lake | Lake | 152 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Waterwheel Falls | Waterfall | 155 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Tresidder Peak | Mountain Peak | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| LeConte Falls | Waterfall | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Le Conte Falls | Waterfall | 156 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| California Falls | Waterfall | 157 km (97 mi) | 2 |
| Cathedral Peak | Mountain Peak | 157 km (98 mi) | 2 |
| Budd Lake | Lake | 158 km (98 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:03 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.3 | 13° |
| March | 4:10 AM – 5:40 AM | 1.5 | 20° |
| April | 2:13 AM – 4:53 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| May | 12:12 AM – 4:02 AM | 3.8 | 24° |
| June | 10:22 PM – 3:42 AM | 5.3 | 24° |
| July | 10:16 PM – 2:16 AM | 4.0 | 24° |
| August | 9:36 PM – 12:16 AM | 2.7 | 23° |
| September | 8:43 PM – 10:13 PM | 1.5 | 20° |
| October | 7:56 PM – 8:16 PM | 0.3 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 12% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (54%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.