Parkersburg is a city of about 30,991 people in Wood County, West Virginia, at 187 m (614 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:42 AM and sets at 6:42 PM; the evening golden hour runs 6:05 PM – 6:58 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 | 7:45 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:47 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:57 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 7:19 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:31 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 7:39 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:00 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:50 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 6:14 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 6:00 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 55m |
| July | 6:13 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 40m |
| August | 6:40 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:03 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:36 AM | 8:13 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 7:11 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:42 PM | 10h 02m |
| December | 7:40 AM | 8:22 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 25m |
Local time in America/New York, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Parkersburg
At Parkersburg the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
Best photo spots near Parkersburg
47 photo locations lie within 80 km of Parkersburg. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
State Parks
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Covered BridgeNatural Arches
Fire Lookouts
National Wildlife Refuges
Ghost Towns
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Parkersburg is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is North Bend State Park, about 39 km (24 mi) away (Bortle 2). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from March to September, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 7.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Bend State Park | State Park | 39 km (24 mi) | 2 |
| North Bend Rail Trail | State Park | 51 km (32 mi) | 2 |
| West Union Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 68 km (42 mi) | 2 |
| Cedar Creek State Park | State Park | 74 km (46 mi) | 2 |
| Walkersville Covered Bridge | Covered Bridge | 105 km (65 mi) | 2 |
| Tecumseh Falls | Waterfall | 124 km (77 mi) | 2 |
| Holly River State Park | State Park | 125 km (78 mi) | 2 |
| Tenskwatawa Falls | Waterfall | 126 km (78 mi) | 2 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| February | 5:33 AM – 5:43 AM | 0.2 | 12° |
| March | 4:42 AM – 6:02 AM | 1.3 | 18° |
| April | 2:39 AM – 5:09 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| May | 12:41 AM – 4:21 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| June | 10:55 PM – 3:55 AM | 5.0 | 22° |
| July | 10:47 PM – 2:27 AM | 3.7 | 22° |
| August | 10:03 PM – 12:33 AM | 2.5 | 22° |
| September | 9:07 PM – 10:27 PM | 1.3 | 18° |
| October | 8:18 PM – 8:28 PM | 0.2 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.