Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in Grays Harbor County, Washington. It sits roughly 3.3 km (2.1 mi) WSW of Hoquiam.
Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge is located within Grays Harbor, at the mouth of the Chehalis River, which makes up the second largest watershed in Washington. It is one of four major staging areas for migrating shorebirds in the Pacific Flyway. Up to one million shorebirds gather here in spring and fall to feed and rest. Grays Harbor is designated as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Site, recognizing this internationally significant shorebird habitat. Although the refuge occupies only two percent of the intertidal habitat of Grays Harbor, it hosts up to 50 percent of the shorebirds that stage in the estuary. As many as 24 species of shorebirds use Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, with the most abundant species being western sandpiper and dunlin. Semipalmated plover, least sandpiper, red knot, and black-bellied plover are also common during migration. The...From the Wikipedia article “Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 89° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 53° NE | 9:15 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:59 AM | 125° SE | 4:30 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 31m |
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
Wildlife is most active in the first and last two hours of daylight — exactly when the light is warmest.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:23 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:47 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:28 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 6:59 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 5:05 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 03m |
| June | 4:41 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:53 PM | 15h 52m |
| July | 4:59 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 31m |
| August | 5:41 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:29 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:04 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:30 PM | 7:01 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 6:47 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:07 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 23m |
| December | 7:20 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:47 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:03 PM | 8h 32m |
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 Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:44 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:37 AM – 4:27 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:45 AM – 3:15 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:09 AM – 2:19 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:44 PM – 1:14 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:30 PM – 11:10 PM | 0.7 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 20.05 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 48% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 57 | 60 | 67 | 79 | 81 | 87 | 87 | 88 | 94 | 80 | 63 | 57 |
| Low °F | 19 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 33 | 41 | 45 | 45 | 36 | 26 | 21 | 15 |
| Precip. (in) | 10.8 | 6.9 | 8.4 | 5.5 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 11.5 | 10.9 |
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 national wildlife refuge
- Migration peaks bring the largest concentrations — see the birding calendar for this state.
- Use auto-loop roads as mobile blinds; animals often tolerate vehicles more than people on foot.
- Stay on designated routes and keep a respectful distance — if an animal changes behavior, you are too close.
- A 400–600 mm lens (or a crop body) is the usual tool for birds.
- Fast shutter speeds (1/2000 s+) freeze wingbeats; raise ISO rather than lose the shot.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring and autumn migration are the highlights; winter brings waterfowl to many southern refuges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens (400 mm+), Bean bag for car window, Binoculars. 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 40 km of Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, closest first.
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LighthouseFAQ
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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.