Spokane is a city of about 229,447 people in Spokane County, Washington, at 571 m (1,873 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:16 AM and sets at 5:54 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:11 PM – 6:13 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 | 7:34 AM | 8:24 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:25 PM | 5:00 PM | 8h 51m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 7:04 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:01 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 5:13 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:58 PM | 15h 08m |
| June | 4:52 AM | 5:40 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 58m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 37m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 18m |
| September | 6:28 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:09 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:21 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:34 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:56 AM | 7:44 AM | 3:27 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:48 PM | 9h 19m |
| December | 7:32 AM | 8:25 AM | 3:06 PM | 3:59 PM | 4:35 PM | 8h 27m |
Local time in America/Los Angeles, daylight saving time included. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Spokane
At Spokane 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 Spokane
31 photo locations lie within 80 km of Spokane. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
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Botanical Gardens
Mountain Peaks
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Spokane is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Box Canyon Dam Viewpoint, about 125 km (77 mi) away (Bortle 1). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box Canyon Dam Viewpoint | Scenic Viewpoint | 125 km (77 mi) | 1 |
| Sherman Creek Falls | Waterfall | 126 km (78 mi) | 1 |
| Granite Falls | Waterfall | 126 km (78 mi) | 1 |
| LaSota Falls | Waterfall | 127 km (79 mi) | 1 |
| Sherman Pass | Mountain Pass | 131 km (81 mi) | 1 |
| Lookout Pass | Mountain Pass | 132 km (82 mi) | 1 |
| Caribou Falls | Waterfall | 138 km (86 mi) | 1 |
| Hughes Ridge Viewpoint | Scenic Viewpoint | 138 km (86 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| April | 3:25 AM – 3:55 AM | 0.5 | 12° |
| May | 1:26 AM – 2:46 AM | 1.3 | 13° |
| June | 12:00 AM – 1:40 AM | 1.7 | 13° |
| July | 11:29 PM – 12:39 AM | 1.2 | 13° |
| August | 10:09 PM – 10:39 PM | 0.5 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 30% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.