Bodega Head — a mountain peak in Sonoma County, California at about 77 m (253 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Bodega Bay, about 2.9 km (1.8 mi) away (Bodega Head lies SSW of town).
Bodega Head is a small promontory on the Pacific coast of northern California in the United States. It is located in Sonoma County, approximately 40 mi (64 km) northwest of San Francisco and approximately 20 mi (32 km) west of Santa Rosa. The peninsula, which is approximately 4 mi (6.4 km) long and 1 mi (1.6 km) wide, emerges from the coast to the north. It shelters the shallow, sandy Bodega Bay and the inner portion known as Bodega Harbor. Sonoma Coast State Beach comprises beaches and dunes along the south side of the promontory. The University of California, Davis runs an ongoing marine biology program at the Bodega Marine Laboratory. The laboratory is located on the grounds of Bodega Marine Reserve, which is part of the UC Natural Reserve System. The peninsula is considered a prime spot to observe the migration of whales. It is also one of the three points of the Red Triangle, a...From the Wikipedia article “Bodega Head”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bodega Head the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:17 AM | 90° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 59° ENE | 8:40 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 50m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 120° ESE | 4:56 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 30m |
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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:00 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:09 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:45 PM | 9h 48m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:51 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 47m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 15m |
| June | 5:17 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 49m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 35m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 40m |
| September | 6:28 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:29 PM | 10h 06m |
| December | 6:53 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 31m |
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 Bodega Head, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:10 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:17 AM – 5:47 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 4:52 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:23 AM – 4:13 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:34 PM – 3:44 AM | 5.2 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:27 PM – 2:27 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:45 PM – 12:25 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:51 PM – 10:21 PM | 1.5 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:03 PM – 8:23 PM | 0.3 | 13° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.97 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 45% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (63%). September 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 | 63 | 63 | 62 | 71 | 76 | 73 | 65 | 70 | 74 | 76 | 66 | 62 |
| Low °F | 41 | 43 | 42 | 45 | 46 | 49 | 50 | 53 | 53 | 51 | 45 | 43 |
| Precip. (in) | 6.3 | 6.7 | 5.1 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 4.2 | 8.6 |
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 mountain peak
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Bodega Head, closest first.
Beach
State Park
Natural Arch
BeachNatural Arch
BeachFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bodega Head?
What time is golden hour at Bodega Head?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bodega Head?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bodega Head?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bodega Head?
How far is Bodega Head from Bodega 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.