Rapid City is a city of about 73,569 people in Pennington County, South Dakota, at 988 m (3,241 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:14 AM and sets at 6:02 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:22 PM – 6:20 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 | 7:25 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:52 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 7:06 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 5:27 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 5:10 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 5:24 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:08 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:40 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:49 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 7:22 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:49 PM | 8h 54m |
Local time in America/Denver, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Rapid City
At Rapid City the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
Best photo spots near Rapid City
39 photo locations lie within 80 km of Rapid City. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Botanical Gardens
Natural Arches
Canyons
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Rapid City is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Bush’s Shelter Cave on route to the Historic Entrance, about 62 km (39 mi) away (Bortle 1). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bush’s Shelter Cave on route to the Historic Entrance | Cave | 62 km (39 mi) | 1 |
| Badlands Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 76 km (47 mi) | 1 |
| Elk Mountain Lookout Tower | Fire Lookout | 76 km (47 mi) | 1 |
| Badlands Wilderness Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 80 km (50 mi) | 1 |
| Cedar Butte | Rock Formation | 82 km (51 mi) | 1 |
| Ancient Hunters Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 84 km (52 mi) | 1 |
| Conata Basin Overlook | Scenic Viewpoint | 87 km (54 mi) | 1 |
| Inyan Kara Mountain | Mountain Peak | 90 km (56 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 4:46 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.7 | 14° |
| April | 2:42 AM – 4:22 AM | 1.7 | 16° |
| May | 12:47 AM – 3:17 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| June | 11:03 PM – 2:43 AM | 3.7 | 17° |
| July | 10:49 PM – 1:19 AM | 2.5 | 17° |
| August | 9:51 PM – 11:21 PM | 1.5 | 16° |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:14 PM | 0.5 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (67%). July is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.