Lanphere Dunes is a sand dunes in Humboldt County, California. It is part of Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It sits roughly 5.9 km (3.7 mi) NW of Arcata.
The Lanphere Dunes National Natural Landmark a unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, is located in Humboldt County, California. The dune complex consists of the wave slope, fore dune, herbaceous and woody swales, coniferous and riparian forest, freshwater swamp, freshwater marsh, brackish marsh, salt marsh, and intertidal mudflats. The site exemplifies dunes succession.From the Wikipedia article “Lanphere Dunes”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lanphere Dunes the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:21 AM | 90° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:46 AM | 58° ENE | 8:53 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 07m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:05 AM | 89° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 121° ESE | 4:52 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 14m |
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
Dunes need low sun: ripples and ridgelines only appear when side-light casts shadows, so shoot within an hour of sunrise or sunset.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:09 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:22 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 34m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 40m |
| March | 7:02 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:29 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 28m |
| June | 5:12 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:24 PM | 15h 06m |
| July | 5:26 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 50m |
| August | 5:58 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 49m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:01 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:35 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:19 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 55m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 15m |
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 Lanphere Dunes, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:34 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:46 AM – 5:56 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:46 AM – 4:56 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:42 AM – 4:02 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:59 PM – 3:29 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:49 PM – 2:09 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 10:01 PM – 12:11 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 9:01 PM – 10:11 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:09 PM – 8:09 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.06 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ 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 61% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 67 | 67 | 68 | 72 | 78 | 82 | 76 | 75 | 88 | 79 | 67 | 62 |
| Low °F | 35 | 37 | 39 | 40 | 43 | 47 | 49 | 51 | 48 | 44 | 39 | 35 |
| Precip. (in) | 7.5 | 7.1 | 6.8 | 3.7 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 5.6 | 10.8 |
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 sand dunes
- Sand surfaces get extremely hot in summer afternoons.
- Walk along ridges rather than across faces to avoid leaving footprints in your future compositions.
- A telephoto isolates S-curves and layered ridges.
- Wind erases tracks overnight — mornings have the cleanest sand.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring and autumn for comfortable temperatures; full moon nights give soft light on the sand.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lens blower, Sun protection, Water. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Launching or landing drones on National Wildlife Refuge lands generally requires a special use permit from the refuge manager, and wildlife disturbance rules apply everywhere.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Lanphere Dunes, closest first.
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
State Park
State Park
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Natural Arch
State Park
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lanphere Dunes?
What time is golden hour at Lanphere Dunes?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lanphere Dunes?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lanphere Dunes?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lanphere Dunes?
How far is Lanphere Dunes from Arcata?
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.