Woodstock is a city of about 25,189 people in McHenry County, Illinois, at 288 m (945 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:13 AM and sets at 6:06 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:27 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 | 7:21 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 26m |
| February | 6:51 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:14 AM | 6:51 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 35m |
| June | 5:17 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 15m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 59m |
| August | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 6:35 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:07 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:27 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 48m |
| December | 7:17 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 06m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Woodstock
At Woodstock the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
Best photo spots near Woodstock
45 photo locations lie within 80 km of Woodstock. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Waterfalls
State Parks
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State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
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LighthouseBeaches
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
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Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Woodstock is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Millville, about 132 km (82 mi) away (Bortle 3). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Millville | Ghost Town | 132 km (82 mi) | 3 |
| Apple River Canyon State Park | State Park | 133 km (82 mi) | 3 |
| Yellowstone Lake State Park | State Park | 135 km (84 mi) | 3 |
| Bourbonais | Ghost Town | 146 km (91 mi) | 3 |
| Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park | State Park | 146 km (91 mi) | 3 |
| Charles Mound | Mountain Peak | 149 km (92 mi) | 3 |
| Pendarvis | Ghost Town | 154 km (96 mi) | 3 |
| Governor Dodge State Park | State Park | 157 km (97 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:27 AM – 4:27 AM | 2.0 | 18° |
| May | 12:36 AM – 3:26 AM | 2.8 | 19° |
| June | 10:46 PM – 2:56 AM | 4.2 | 19° |
| July | 10:36 PM – 1:36 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| August | 9:44 PM – 11:34 PM | 1.8 | 18° |
| September | 8:41 PM – 9:31 PM | 0.8 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (71%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.