Cedar Rapids is a city of about 130,405 people in Linn County, Iowa, at 247 m (810 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:25 AM and sets at 6:19 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:40 PM – 6:36 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 | 7:33 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:17 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 7:04 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:27 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:47 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 5:31 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 13m |
| July | 5:45 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 57m |
| August | 6:15 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:20 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:57 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 7:28 AM | 8:13 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 08m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Cedar Rapids
At Cedar Rapids 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 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 25° in winter.
Best photo spots near Cedar Rapids
7 photo locations lie within 80 km of Cedar Rapids. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
Botanical Gardens
Natural Arches
Ghost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Cedar Rapids is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Backbone State Park, about 70 km (43 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 6.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backbone State Park | State Park | 70 km (43 mi) | 2 |
| Littleport | Ghost Town | 86 km (53 mi) | 2 |
| Elkport | Ghost Town | 87 km (54 mi) | 2 |
| Chicken Ridge Scenic Overlook Park | Scenic Viewpoint | 90 km (56 mi) | 2 |
| Bussey Lake | Lake | 99 km (62 mi) | 2 |
| Donnan | Ghost Town | 101 km (62 mi) | 2 |
| Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 107 km (66 mi) | 2 |
| Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 107 km (67 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:47 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.8 | 15° |
| April | 2:39 AM – 4:39 AM | 2.0 | 19° |
| May | 12:48 AM – 3:48 AM | 3.0 | 19° |
| June | 10:57 PM – 3:17 AM | 4.3 | 19° |
| July | 10:47 PM – 1:57 AM | 3.2 | 19° |
| August | 9:56 PM – 11:56 PM | 2.0 | 18° |
| September | 8:54 PM – 9:54 PM | 1.0 | 15° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.