North Head Light — a lighthouse in Pacific County, Washington — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 6.2 km (3.9 mi) SSW of Long Beach. Its recorded tower height is about 19 m (62 ft). It dates from 1897.
North Head Lighthouse is an active aid to navigation overlooking the Pacific Ocean from North Head, a rocky promontory located approximately two miles north of Cape Disappointment and the mouth of the Columbia River, near Ilwaco, Pacific County, in the U.S. state of Washington. It is part of Cape Disappointment State Park.From the Wikipedia article “North Head Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At North Head Light 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.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:20 AM | 89° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 54° NE | 9:13 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:04 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:57 AM | 124° SE | 4:33 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 36m |
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
Lighthouses work at both ends of the day: blue hour when the beacon is lit, and golden hour when white towers take on warm tones.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:22 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:44 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 01m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:13 PM | 10h 22m |
| March | 7:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 34m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 59m |
| June | 4:46 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 46m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 26m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 11m |
| September | 6:25 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:04 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:31 PM | 7:02 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 27m |
| December | 7:19 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:44 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 38m |
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 North Head Light, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:32 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:34 AM – 4:34 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:28 AM – 3:18 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:55 PM – 2:35 AM | 2.7 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:35 PM – 1:25 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 11:16 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:12 PM – 9:22 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.67 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 64% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (86%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 56 | 57 | 60 | 66 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 71 | 71 | 64 | 61 | 59 |
| Low °F | 30 | 29 | 36 | 39 | 43 | 48 | 53 | 53 | 50 | 41 | 33 | 31 |
| Precip. (in) | 11.0 | 7.1 | 8.4 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 7.2 | 11.7 | 11.3 |
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 lighthouse
- Moonrise or the Milky Way over the tower makes a classic night composition; plan with the azimuth tables.
- During blue hour, use 5–15 second exposures to capture the beam; check whether the light is still active.
- Shoot from the beach or a jetty to place the tower against open sky and sea.
- Stormy weather and crashing surf add drama; keep a safe distance from waves on rocks and piers.
- A telephoto from across a bay compresses the tower against cliffs or the moon.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Summer brings open towers and tours; autumn and winter offer storms, fewer crowds and lower sun angles.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Telephoto lens, ND filter for smooth water, Rain cover. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is Columbia River entrance (N. Jetty), 2.9 km (1.8 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of North Head Light, closest first.
State Park
Beach
Ghost Town
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State Park
Lighthouse
National Wildlife Refuge
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph North Head Light?
What time is golden hour at North Head Light?
Where does the sun rise and set at North Head Light?
Can you see the Milky Way from North Head Light?
Do you need a permit to photograph at North Head Light?
How far is North Head Light from Long Beach?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.