Patos Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse in San Juan County, Washington. The nearest town is Birch Bay, about 22 km (14 mi) away (Patos Island Lighthouse lies SW of town). Its recorded tower height is about 8 m (26 ft). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Patos Island Lighthouse is an active aid to navigation overlooking the Strait of Georgia at Alden Point on the western tip of Patos Island in the San Juan Islands, San Juan County, Washington, in the United States. The station is the northernmost in the San Juan Islands and marks the division point between the eastern and western passages into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. In 2013, Patos Island and its lighthouse were included in the US Presidential Proclamation by Barack Obama creating San Juan Islands National Monument, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, part of the US Department of Interior. Limited developments on the island are managed in partnership with Washington State Parks and volunteers with the nonprofit friends group Keeper of the Patos Light. On some maps it is also referred to as Patos Island State Park.From the Wikipedia article “Patos Island Light”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Patos Island Lighthouse the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 309° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:15 AM | 89° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:09 AM | 52° NE | 9:20 PM | 309° NW | 65° | 16h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:03 AM | 126° SE | 4:18 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 15m |
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 | 7:25 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:52 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:19 PM | 8h 43m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:06 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:25 PM | 15h 16m |
| June | 4:27 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:59 AM | 8:28 PM | 9:18 PM | 10:00 PM | 16h 09m |
| July | 4:45 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:52 PM | 15h 46m |
| August | 5:31 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:01 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:56 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 6:47 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 11m |
| December | 7:22 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:54 AM | 3:22 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:54 PM | 8h 17m |
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 Patos Island Lighthouse, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 12° 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 | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 4:02 AM – 4:12 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:59 AM – 2:49 AM | 0.8 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:00 AM – 2:40 AM | 2.7 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:08 AM – 12:48 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:38 PM – 10:38 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.55 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 44% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (83%). 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 | 58 | 68 | 69 | 83 | 91 | 91 | 94 | 94 | 93 | 78 | 64 | 58 |
| Low °F | 10 | 15 | 21 | 28 | 36 | 42 | 47 | 46 | 41 | 28 | 15 | 11 |
| Precip. (in) | 7.4 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 8.1 | 6.7 |
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
- 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.
- Many lighthouses are on private or Coast Guard property — check public access and opening hours.
- Moonrise or the Milky Way over the tower makes a classic night composition; plan with the azimuth tables.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Patos Island Wharf, 278 m away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Patos Island Lighthouse, closest first.
Lighthouse
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Patos Island Lighthouse?
What time is golden hour at Patos Island Lighthouse?
Where does the sun rise and set at Patos Island Lighthouse?
Can you see the Milky Way from Patos Island Lighthouse?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Patos Island Lighthouse?
How far is Patos Island Lighthouse from Birch Bay?
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.