Des Moines is a city of about 31,221 people in King County, Washington. Today the sun rises at 7:36 AM and sets at 6:14 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:31 PM – 6:33 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 | 7:53 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:21 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 7:15 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:21 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 06m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 6:01 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 6:06 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 16m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 8:10 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 7:15 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:51 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:27 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:56 PM | 8h 29m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Des Moines
At Des Moines the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
Best photo spots near Des Moines
241 photo locations lie within 80 km of Des Moines. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointWaterfalls
Waterfall
Waterfall
Waterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfallState Parks
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
LighthouseLighthouse
LighthouseBeaches
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Des Moines is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Salmon Cascades, about 138 km (86 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from April to August, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 5.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon Cascades | Waterfall | 138 km (86 mi) | 2 |
| Crown Point Falls | Waterfall | 139 km (86 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Maude | Mountain Peak | 140 km (87 mi) | 2 |
| Seven Fingered Jack | Mountain Peak | 140 km (87 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Fernow | Mountain Peak | 141 km (88 mi) | 2 |
| South Cascade Glacier | Glacier | 142 km (88 mi) | 2 |
| Sentinel Peak (Washington) | Mountain Peak | 143 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| East Twin Falls | Waterfall | 143 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | 3:43 AM – 4:23 AM | 0.7 | 13° |
| May | 1:42 AM – 3:02 AM | 1.3 | 13° |
| June | 12:13 AM – 2:03 AM | 1.8 | 14° |
| July | 11:44 PM – 1:04 AM | 1.3 | 13° |
| August | 10:26 PM – 10:56 PM | 0.5 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (80%). August is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.