Kirkland is a city of about 87,281 people in King County, Washington. Today the sun rises at 7:36 AM and sets at 6:13 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:30 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 | 7:53 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:19 PM | 8h 51m |
| February | 7:16 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 7:23 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:20 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 08m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:59 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 58m |
| July | 5:27 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 37m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 18m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:53 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 7:15 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 18m |
| December | 7:52 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:25 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:54 PM | 8h 27m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Kirkland
At Kirkland 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 308° (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 Kirkland
219 photo locations lie within 80 km of Kirkland. 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 Kirkland is estimated at Bortle 8 (city sky). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Crown Point Falls, about 113 km (70 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from April to August, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 4.5+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Point Falls | Waterfall | 113 km (70 mi) | 2 |
| South Cascade Glacier | Glacier | 114 km (71 mi) | 2 |
| Sentinel Peak (Washington) | Mountain Peak | 115 km (71 mi) | 2 |
| Seven Fingered Jack | Mountain Peak | 116 km (72 mi) | 2 |
| Agnes Mountain | Mountain Peak | 116 km (72 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Maude | Mountain Peak | 116 km (72 mi) | 2 |
| Mount Fernow | Mountain Peak | 117 km (73 mi) | 2 |
| Hidden Lake Peak Lookout | Fire Lookout | 117 km (73 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | 3:44 AM – 4:14 AM | 0.5 | 12° |
| May | 1:45 AM – 3:05 AM | 1.3 | 13° |
| June | 12:19 AM – 1:59 AM | 1.7 | 13° |
| July | 11:48 PM – 12:58 AM | 1.2 | 13° |
| August | 10:28 PM – 10:58 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.