Salt Lake City is a city of about 215,548 people in Salt Lake County, Utah, at 1,299 m (4,262 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:45 AM and sets at 6:41 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:04 PM – 6:58 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 | 7:50 AM | 8:32 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:55 PM | 9h 35m |
| February | 7:23 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:24 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:31 PM | 10h 40m |
| March | 7:40 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:02 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:49 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 6:11 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 27m |
| June | 5:56 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 05m |
| July | 6:10 AM | 6:50 AM | 8:18 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:31 PM | 14h 49m |
| August | 6:39 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:57 PM | 13h 49m |
| September | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:39 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 7:15 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 7:46 AM | 8:29 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 16m |
Local time in America/Denver, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Salt Lake City
At Salt Lake City the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
Best photo spots near Salt Lake City
83 photo locations lie within 80 km of Salt Lake City. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfalls
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallState Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Botanical Gardens
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical GardenCovered Bridges
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Salt Lake City is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is High Uintas 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 7.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Uintas Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 117 km (73 mi) | 2 |
| Piedmont | Ghost Town | 118 km (73 mi) | 2 |
| Piedmont Charcoal Kilns State Historic Site | State Park | 118 km (74 mi) | 2 |
| Colton | Ghost Town | 125 km (78 mi) | 2 |
| King's Peak | Mountain Peak | 128 km (79 mi) | 2 |
| Fort Supply | State Park | 130 km (81 mi) | 2 |
| Winter Quarters | Ghost Town | 130 km (81 mi) | 2 |
| Gilbert Peak | Mountain Peak | 131 km (81 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:45 AM – 5:45 AM | 0.0 | 11° |
| March | 4:56 AM – 6:06 AM | 1.2 | 17° |
| April | 2:56 AM – 5:06 AM | 2.2 | 20° |
| May | 12:52 AM – 4:12 AM | 3.3 | 20° |
| June | 11:08 PM – 3:48 AM | 4.7 | 20° |
| July | 10:59 PM – 2:19 AM | 3.3 | 20° |
| August | 10:11 PM – 12:21 AM | 2.2 | 20° |
| September | 9:12 PM – 10:22 PM | 1.2 | 17° |
| October | 8:20 PM – 8:20 PM | 0.0 | 11° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 34% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.