San Marcos is a city of about 60,684 people in Hays County, Texas, at 188 m (617 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:37 AM and sets at 6:57 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:25 PM – 7:12 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 | 7:29 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 26m |
| February | 7:12 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 09m |
| March | 7:42 AM | 8:14 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:04 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 7:06 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:27 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:24 PM | 12h 53m |
| May | 6:39 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:45 PM | 13h 39m |
| June | 6:31 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 03m |
| July | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:02 PM | 13h 53m |
| August | 7:00 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 14m |
| September | 7:17 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:03 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:34 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 28m |
| November | 6:58 AM | 7:32 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 40m |
| December | 7:21 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 14m |
Local time in America/Chicago, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in San Marcos
At San Marcos the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 84° in summer but only 37° in winter.
Best photo spots near San Marcos
42 photo locations lie within 80 km of San Marcos. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
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WaterfallState Parks
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State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
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Botanical GardenMountain Peaks
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central San Marcos is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is The Falls, about 144 km (89 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from February to October, best in June.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Falls | Waterfall | 144 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Spy Rock | Mountain Peak | 162 km (100 mi) | 2 |
| Garner State Park | State Park | 177 km (110 mi) | 2 |
| South Llano River State Park | Dark Sky Place | 190 km (118 mi) | 2 |
| Telegraph | Ghost Town | 195 km (121 mi) | 2 |
| Wonder Cave | Cave | 53 km (33 mi) | 3 |
| Albert | Ghost Town | 72 km (45 mi) | 3 |
| Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site | State Park | 77 km (48 mi) | 3 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 4:52 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.8 | 18° |
| March | 4:00 AM – 6:20 AM | 2.3 | 28° |
| April | 2:03 AM – 5:33 AM | 3.5 | 31° |
| May | 12:00 AM – 5:00 AM | 5.0 | 31° |
| June | 10:12 PM – 4:52 AM | 6.7 | 31° |
| July | 10:09 PM – 3:29 AM | 5.3 | 31° |
| August | 9:41 PM – 1:21 AM | 3.7 | 31° |
| September | 8:59 PM – 11:19 PM | 2.3 | 28° |
| October | 8:22 PM – 9:22 PM | 1.0 | 20° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 38% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.