Bellingham is a city of about 85,146 people in Whatcom County, Washington. Today the sun rises at 7:38 AM and sets at 6:12 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:28 PM – 6:32 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 | 7:58 AM | 8:50 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:17 PM | 8h 43m |
| February | 7:19 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 6:20 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:19 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 5:29 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 16m |
| June | 5:07 AM | 5:57 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:58 PM | 16h 08m |
| July | 5:24 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 46m |
| August | 6:04 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:56 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:31 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 7:20 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 12m |
| December | 7:57 AM | 8:52 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:52 PM | 8h 17m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Bellingham
At Bellingham the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
Best photo spots near Bellingham
115 photo locations lie within 80 km of Bellingham. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Bellingham is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Chopaka Mountain, about 199 km (124 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from May to July, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 4.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chopaka Mountain | Mountain Peak | 199 km (124 mi) | 1 |
| Point Roberts Light | Lighthouse | 50 km (31 mi) | 2 |
| Lighthouse Marine Park Boat Launch | Lighthouse | 50 km (31 mi) | 2 |
| Nooksack Falls Viewpoint | Scenic Viewpoint | 52 km (32 mi) | 2 |
| Nooksack Falls | Waterfall | 52 km (32 mi) | 2 |
| Wells Creek Falls | Waterfall | 54 km (34 mi) | 2 |
| Mazama Falls | Waterfall | 56 km (35 mi) | 2 |
| Iceberg Lake | Lake | 57 km (36 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | 4:00 AM – 4:10 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| May | 1:57 AM – 2:47 AM | 0.8 | 12° |
| June | 11:58 PM – 2:38 AM | 2.7 | 12° |
| July | 12:06 AM – 12:46 AM | 0.7 | 12° |
| August | 10:36 PM – 10:36 PM | 0.0 | 10° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (83%). August is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.