Tacoma is a city of about 222,906 people in Pierce County, Washington, at 74 m (243 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:36 AM and sets at 6:14 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:32 PM – 6:34 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 | 8:42 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:21 PM | 8h 54m |
| February | 7:16 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:22 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 05m |
| June | 5:14 AM | 6:02 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 55m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 6:16 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 33m |
| August | 6:07 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 16m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:29 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 7:15 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 21m |
| December | 7:51 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:57 PM | 8h 30m |
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 Tacoma
At Tacoma 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 Tacoma
243 photo locations lie within 80 km of Tacoma. 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 Tacoma is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Pacific Beach State Park, about 133 km (83 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 | 133 km (83 mi) | 2 |
| Grenville Arch | Natural Arch | 139 km (86 mi) | 2 |
| Salmon Cascades | Waterfall | 140 km (87 mi) | 2 |
| Copalis National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 141 km (88 mi) | 2 |
| Leadbetter Point State Park | State Park | 142 km (88 mi) | 2 |
| East Twin Falls | Waterfall | 146 km (91 mi) | 2 |
| Pacific Pines State Park | State Park | 148 km (92 mi) | 2 |
| Beach 4 | Beach | 153 km (95 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:38 AM – 5:38 AM | 0.0 | 10° |
| April | 3:33 AM – 4:23 AM | 0.8 | 13° |
| May | 1:41 AM – 3:11 AM | 1.5 | 14° |
| June | 12:08 AM – 2:08 AM | 2.0 | 14° |
| July | 11:42 PM – 1:02 AM | 1.3 | 14° |
| August | 10:26 PM – 11:06 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.