Castle Rock is a city of about 55,591 people in Douglas County, Colorado, at 1,897 m (6,224 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:15 AM and sets at 6:15 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:38 PM – 6:31 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 | 7:18 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 42m |
| February | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 7:12 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:23 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:47 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 20m |
| June | 5:33 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 56m |
| July | 5:46 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 41m |
| August | 6:13 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 6:41 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:49 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:15 PM | 10h 02m |
| December | 7:13 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 25m |
Local time in America/Denver, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Castle Rock
At Castle Rock the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (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 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Castle Rock
78 photo locations lie within 80 km of Castle Rock. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Natural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNatural ArchNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Castle Rock is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Buffalo Peaks Wilderness, about 117 km (73 mi) away (Bortle 2). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Peaks Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 117 km (73 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Princeton Hot Springs | Hot Spring | 133 km (83 mi) | 2 |
| Hortense Hot Spring | Hot Spring | 134 km (83 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Columbia | Mountain Peak | 135 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Oxford | Mountain Peak | 136 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Harvard | Mountain Peak | 136 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Bedrock Falls | Waterfall | 136 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| Vicksburg | Ghost Town | 137 km (85 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:06 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:16 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:12 AM – 4:42 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:14 AM – 3:54 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:28 PM – 3:28 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 10:20 PM – 2:00 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| August | 9:36 PM – 12:06 AM | 2.5 | 21° |
| September | 8:40 PM – 10:00 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 7:51 PM – 8:01 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 38% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (57%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.