Tri-Cities is a city of about 244,036 people in Franklin County, Washington, at 106 m (348 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 | 7:33 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 33m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 59m |
| June | 5:05 AM | 5:52 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 46m |
| July | 5:20 AM | 6:06 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 26m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:36 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:15 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:42 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:59 AM | 7:45 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 7:34 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. Open a month for a day-by-day table with moon phases.
Where the sun rises and sets in Tri-Cities
At Tri-Cities 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 Tri-Cities
26 photo locations lie within 80 km of Tri-Cities. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
State Parks
State Park
State Park
State ParkLakes
Lighthouses
Botanical Gardens
Mountain Peaks
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakNight sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Tri-Cities is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Ukiah–Dale Forest State Scenic Corridor, about 126 km (78 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 | 126 km (78 mi) | 1 |
| Thompson Falls | Waterfall | 136 km (85 mi) | 1 |
| Meadow Brooks Falls | Waterfall | 144 km (89 mi) | 1 |
| Ritter Hot Springs | Hot Spring | 150 km (93 mi) | 1 |
| Powell Hot Springs | Hot Spring | 151 km (94 mi) | 1 |
| North Fork John Day Wilderness | Wilderness Area | 155 km (96 mi) | 1 |
| Crawfish Lake | Lake | 163 km (101 mi) | 1 |
| Minam Falls | Waterfall | 164 km (102 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.