Kennewick is a city of about 78,896 people in Benton County, Washington, at 124 m (407 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:21 AM and sets at 6:03 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:21 PM – 6:22 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 | 7:36 AM | 8:24 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 01m |
| February | 7:01 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 7:10 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 33m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 58m |
| June | 5:05 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 46m |
| July | 5:20 AM | 6:06 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 25m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:35 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:14 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:42 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:59 AM | 7:44 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 7:33 AM | 8:24 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:47 PM | 8h 38m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Kennewick
At Kennewick the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
Best photo spots near Kennewick
26 photo locations lie within 80 km of Kennewick. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
State Parks
State ParkLighthouses
Botanical Gardens
Mountain Peaks
National Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife RefugeNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Kennewick is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Ukiah–Dale Forest State Scenic Corridor, about 121 km (75 mi) away (Bortle 1). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ukiah–Dale Forest State Scenic Corridor | State Park | 121 km (75 mi) | 1 |
| Thompson Falls | Waterfall | 132 km (82 mi) | 1 |
| Meadow Brooks Falls | Waterfall | 139 km (87 mi) | 1 |
| Ritter Hot Springs | Hot Spring | 147 km (91 mi) | 1 |
| Powell Hot Springs | Hot Spring | 147 km (92 mi) | 1 |
| North Fork John Day Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 150 km (93 mi) | 1 |
| Crawfish Lake | Lake | 157 km (98 mi) | 1 |
| Minam Falls | Waterfall | 158 km (98 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:13 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.2 | 11° |
| April | 3:15 AM – 4:15 AM | 1.0 | 14° |
| May | 1:09 AM – 2:59 AM | 1.8 | 15° |
| June | 11:36 PM – 2:16 AM | 2.7 | 15° |
| July | 11:16 PM – 1:06 AM | 1.8 | 15° |
| August | 10:07 PM – 10:57 PM | 0.8 | 14° |
| September | 8:54 PM – 9:04 PM | 0.2 | 11° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 26% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (79%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
