Sand Dunes is a sand dunes in Franklin County, Florida. It sits roughly 15.7 km (9.8 mi) SW of Apalachicola.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sand Dunes the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 84° in summer but only 37° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:45 AM | 90° E | 7:52 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:42 AM | 62° ENE | 8:44 PM | 298° WNW | 84° | 14h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:30 AM | 89° E | 7:39 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:32 AM | 117° ESE | 5:47 PM | 243° WSW | 37° | 10h 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 | 7:11 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:12 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:30 PM | 10h 27m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 09m |
| March | 7:27 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:23 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:50 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:47 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:32 PM | 12h 53m |
| May | 6:23 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 38m |
| June | 6:13 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 02m |
| July | 6:24 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:10 PM | 13h 52m |
| August | 6:44 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 13m |
| September | 7:02 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:57 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:11 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:19 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:35 PM | 11h 29m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 40m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:05 AM | 5:08 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 15m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Sand Dunes, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 31° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| February | 5:00 AM – 5:50 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:08 AM – 6:28 AM | 2.3 | 28° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:10 AM – 5:40 AM | 3.5 | 31° | SE → S |
| May | 12:07 AM – 5:17 AM | 5.2 | 31° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:19 PM – 4:59 AM | 6.7 | 31° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:16 PM – 3:36 AM | 5.3 | 31° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:48 PM – 1:28 AM | 3.7 | 31° | S → SW |
| September | 9:07 PM – 11:27 PM | 2.3 | 28° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM | 1.0 | 20° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.88 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (66%). August is the warmest month and January 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 | 74 | 74 | 76 | 79 | 85 | 87 | 88 | 88 | 88 | 85 | 80 | 76 |
| Low °F | 35 | 43 | 43 | 52 | 62 | 72 | 78 | 78 | 69 | 57 | 46 | 42 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.6 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 5.6 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 5.4 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 3.8 |
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.
- Protect gear from blowing sand; avoid changing lenses in the wind.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Sand Dunes, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
Lighthouse
State Park
State Park
Beach
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sand Dunes?
What time is golden hour at Sand Dunes?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sand Dunes?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sand Dunes?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sand Dunes?
How far is Sand Dunes from Apalachicola?
Sources
Location data: USGS GNIS / GeoNames. 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.