Gasparilla Island State Park is a state park in Lee County, Florida. The nearest town is Bokeelia, about 10.6 km (6.6 mi) away (Gasparilla Island State Park lies WNW of town).
Gasparilla Island State Park is a Florida State Park located south of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island off Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound. Activities include swimming and fishing along with shelling, picnicking, and viewing the Historic Port Boca Grande Lighthouse. Among the wildlife of the park are West Indian manatee, gopher tortoise, bald eagle, osprey, least tern, royal tern, Sandwich tern, and black skimmer.From the Wikipedia article “Gasparilla Island State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Gasparilla Island State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 63° (ENE) at the June solstice and 116° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 297° (WNW) in June to 244° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 87° in summer but only 40° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:34 AM | 90° E | 7:41 PM | 270° W | 63° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:37 AM | 63° ENE | 8:26 PM | 297° WNW | 87° | 13h 49m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:18 AM | 89° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 64° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:14 AM | 116° ESE | 5:42 PM | 244° WSW | 40° | 10h 27m |
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
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:55 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:24 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 38m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 16m |
| March | 7:16 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:10 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:01 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 6:42 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:17 PM | 12h 48m |
| May | 6:17 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 27m |
| June | 6:10 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 49m |
| July | 6:20 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 40m |
| August | 6:37 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 06m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:35 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:06 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 33m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 50m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 28m |
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 Gasparilla Island State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 34° 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 | — | 2° | — |
| February | 4:40 AM – 5:40 AM | 1.0 | 21° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:45 AM – 6:15 AM | 2.5 | 31° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:44 AM – 5:44 AM | 4.0 | 34° | SE → S |
| May | 11:46 PM – 5:06 AM | 5.3 | 34° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:56 PM – 4:56 AM | 7.0 | 34° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:55 PM – 3:35 AM | 5.7 | 34° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:30 PM – 1:30 AM | 4.0 | 34° | S → SW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 11:33 PM | 2.7 | 31° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:19 PM – 9:29 PM | 1.2 | 22° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
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 ≈ 21.08 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (67%). 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 | 76 | 76 | 78 | 83 | 86 | 90 | 89 | 90 | 89 | 88 | 84 | 78 |
| Low °F | 42 | 46 | 50 | 58 | 68 | 74 | 78 | 79 | 74 | 60 | 54 | 50 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 2.5 |
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 state park
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Trail maps often mark overlooks — combine them with the sun azimuth to plan.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.
Suggested gear: Versatile zoom lens, Tripod, Park pass. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Gasparilla Island State Park, closest first.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State Park
National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife Refuge
Lighthouse
State Park
State Park
BeachFAQ
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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.