Brighton is a ghost town in Tillamook County, Oregon. The nearest town is Rockaway Beach, about 6.7 km (4.2 mi) away (Brighton lies NNE of town).
Brighton is an unincorporated community in Tillamook County, Oregon, United States. It is about 3 kilometres (2 mi) southwest of Wheeler on U.S. Route 101 next to Nehalem Bay, across the bay from Nehalem Bay State Park. A town was platted at this locale in 1910 and named Brighton Beach, although it is not directly on the Pacific Ocean. It was named for the seaside resort of Brighton, England, and it was hoped the place would become a popular vacation spot. Brighton post office was established in 1912 and closed in 1957. Brighton Beach was also the name of the Southern Pacific Railroad station on the Tillamook Branch. Today the line is owned by the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad (POTB). The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad, a non-profit museum group, operates a heritage railroad in conjunction with the POTB that runs dinner trains from Garibaldi to Wheeler that pass through Brighton.From the Wikipedia article “Brighton, Oregon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Brighton 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° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 89° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:27 AM | 54° NE | 9:09 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 124° SE | 4:35 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 41m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:20 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:41 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 05m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 7:00 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 32m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 55m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 41m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 21m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:25 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:03 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:13 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:31 PM | 7:01 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 30m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:40 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:07 PM | 8h 42m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Brighton, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:22 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:22 AM – 4:32 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:24 AM – 3:24 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:48 PM – 2:38 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:29 PM – 1:29 AM | 2.0 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 11:23 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:11 PM – 9:21 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.62 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and December 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.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 57 | 59 | 66 | 77 | 83 | 80 | 86 | 92 | 87 | 79 | 64 | 57 |
| Low °F | 19 | 20 | 27 | 31 | 34 | 42 | 47 | 48 | 39 | 31 | 24 | 16 |
| Precip. (in) | 10.3 | 7.2 | 7.9 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 6.1 | 10.5 | 11.4 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this ghost town
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Brighton, closest first.
State Park
State Park
Natural Arch
State Park
Waterfall
Ghost Town
State Park
State ParkWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Brighton?
What time is golden hour at Brighton?
Where does the sun rise and set at Brighton?
Can you see the Milky Way from Brighton?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Brighton?
How far is Brighton from Rockaway Beach?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.