University Place is a city of about 32,842 people in Pierce County, Washington, at 63 m (207 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:36 AM and sets at 6:15 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 | 8:43 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:22 PM | 8h 54m |
| February | 7:16 AM | 8:00 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 | 7:04 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 5:35 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 | 9:09 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 54m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 6:16 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:42 PM | 15h 33m |
| August | 6:08 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 16m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:29 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:55 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 7:15 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:10 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.
Where the sun rises and sets in University Place
At University Place 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 University Place
215 photo locations lie within 80 km of University Place. 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 University Place is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Pacific Beach State Park, about 125 km (78 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 | 125 km (78 mi) | 2 |
| Grenville Arch | Natural Arch | 131 km (81 mi) | 2 |
| Copalis National Wildlife Refuge | National Wildlife Refuge | 133 km (83 mi) | 2 |
| Leadbetter Point State Park | State Park | 134 km (83 mi) | 2 |
| Salmon Cascades | Waterfall | 135 km (84 mi) | 2 |
| Pacific Pines State Park | State Park | 140 km (87 mi) | 2 |
| East Twin Falls | Waterfall | 142 km (88 mi) | 2 |
| Beach 4 | Beach | 146 km (91 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.