Ellensburg is a city of about 19,001 people in Kittitas County, Washington, at 470 m (1,542 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:28 AM and sets at 6:07 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:25 PM – 6:26 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 | 7:44 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:15 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 7:08 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 7:16 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 5:28 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 04m |
| June | 5:07 AM | 5:55 AM | 8:12 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 52m |
| July | 5:23 AM | 6:09 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 32m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:48 PM | 14h 15m |
| September | 6:41 AM | 7:21 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:47 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:21 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:47 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 7:06 AM | 7:53 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 23m |
| December | 7:42 AM | 8:34 AM | 3:23 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:50 PM | 8h 32m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Ellensburg
At Ellensburg 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 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 20° in winter.
Best photo spots near Ellensburg
56 photo locations lie within 80 km of Ellensburg. 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 Ellensburg is estimated at Bortle 6 (bright suburban sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Lake Lenore Caves State Park, about 94 km (58 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Lenore Caves State Park | State Park | 94 km (58 mi) | 2 |
| Lenore Lake | Lake | 96 km (60 mi) | 2 |
| Tyee Mountain Lookout | Fire Lookout | 97 km (60 mi) | 2 |
| Preston Falls | Waterfall | 99 km (61 mi) | 2 |
| Jameson | Ghost Town | 104 km (65 mi) | 2 |
| Baird | Ghost Town | 107 km (66 mi) | 2 |
| Silver Falls | Waterfall | 107 km (67 mi) | 2 |
| Summer Falls | Waterfall | 110 km (68 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:30 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.0 | 11° |
| April | 3:23 AM – 4:13 AM | 0.8 | 13° |
| May | 1:30 AM – 3:00 AM | 1.5 | 14° |
| June | 11:55 PM – 2:05 AM | 2.2 | 14° |
| July | 11:30 PM – 1:00 AM | 1.5 | 14° |
| August | 10:16 PM – 10:56 PM | 0.7 | 13° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 29% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (75%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.