Federal Way is a city of about 95,171 people in King County, Washington, at 141 m (463 ft). 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 | 7:52 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:21 PM | 8h 54m |
| 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 | 7:45 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:21 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 06m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 6:01 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 55m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:16 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 34m |
| August | 6:07 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:56 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 | 7:14 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 21m |
| December | 7:51 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:56 PM | 8h 30m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Federal Way
At Federal Way 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 Federal Way
268 photo locations lie within 80 km of Federal Way. 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 Federal Way is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Pacific Beach State Park, about 143 km (89 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Beach State Park | State Park | 143 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Salmon Cascades | Waterfall | 144 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Crown Point Falls | Waterfall | 144 km (89 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Maude | Mountain Peak | 145 km (90 mi) | 2 |
| Seven Fingered Jack | Mountain Peak | 145 km (90 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Fernow | Mountain Peak | 146 km (91 mi) | 2 |
| Bonanza Peak | Mountain Peak | 148 km (92 mi) | 2 |
| South Cascade Glacier | Glacier | 149 km (92 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:37 AM – 5:37 AM | 0.0 | 10° |
| April | 3:32 AM – 4:22 AM | 0.8 | 13° |
| May | 1:40 AM – 3:10 AM | 1.5 | 14° |
| June | 12:07 AM – 2:07 AM | 2.0 | 14° |
| July | 11:41 PM – 1:01 AM | 1.3 | 14° |
| August | 10:25 PM – 11:05 PM | 0.7 | 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.