Sunset planner
Golden Gate Bridge sunset today: 6:15 PM.
Pick a viewpoint and a date: sunrise, sunset, golden hour, and the days the sun rises or sets between or right behind the towers. Worked out from the tower positions in OpenStreetMap.
Sunset today is at 6:15 PM, toward the WSW (253°). Golden hour starts at 5:38 PM; blue hour ends at 6:41 PM. Next tower lineup: Hawk Hill, Feb 24 at 6:46 AM, sunrise right behind the Marin (north) tower.
Lineups are direction only: within 0.75° of a tower counts as behind it, and between the two tower bearings (plus 0.5°) as between them. Hills, fog and cloud are not modelled; the Marin Headlands can hide the sun a few minutes before sunset.
Viewpoint and date
Crissy Field, East Beach, Oct 29
- Sunrise
- 7:30 AM
- Sunset
- 6:15 PM
- Evening golden hour
- 5:38 PM - 6:31 PM
- Blue hour
- 6:31 PM - 6:41 PM
- Bridge direction
- WNW 288°-308°
- Sunset direction
- WSW 253°
On this day the sunset is about 34° away from the bridge, and the sunrise about 159°.
In the last two years, low cloud covered the Golden Gate in 17.7% of sunset hours and 37.1% of sunrise hours in this month (HRRR).
Crissy Field, East Beach: sun and tower lineups in the next year
| Dates | What | Closest day |
|---|---|---|
| Sunset between the towers | May 23 8:21 PM | |
| Sunset right behind the San Francisco (south) tower | Apr 24 7:55 PM | |
| Sunset right behind the San Francisco (south) tower | Aug 17 8:01 PM |
Every viewpoint at a glance
| Viewpoint | Bridge | Nearest tower | Lineups |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Spencer | SSE 136°-167° | 0.3 km | none, side light |
| Hawk Hill | ESE 101°-131° | 1.7 km | sunrise Feb 23 to Feb 25; sunrise Oct 16 to Oct 19 |
| Vista Point (north end) | S 176°-177° | 0.8 km | none, side light |
| South plaza (bridge walkway) | NNW 345°-351° | 0.7 km | none, side light |
| Golden Gate Overlook (Presidio) | N 355°-355° | 1.1 km | none, side light |
| Fort Point | N 350°-354° | 0.4 km | none, side light |
| Marshall's Beach | N 2°-8° | 1.4 km | none, side light |
| Baker Beach | N 8°-15° | 2.4 km | none, side light |
| Crissy Field, East Beach | WNW 288°-308° | 2.7 km | sunset Apr 23 to Apr 25; sunset Aug 16 to Aug 19 |
| Lands End Point | NE 29°-40° | 3.8 km | none, side light |
| Treasure Island (Building 1) | W 268°-275° | 9.4 km | sunset Mar 12 to Mar 14; sunset Mar 28 to Mar 30; sunset Sep 12 to Sep 14; sunset Sep 28 to Sep 30 |
Sunset questions
What time is sunset at the Golden Gate Bridge today?
Sunset at the Golden Gate Bridge is at 6:15 PM today (2026-10-29), toward the WSW. Evening golden hour starts at 5:38 PM and blue hour ends at 6:41 PM. Sunrise was at 7:30 AM.
Where can you see the sun set behind the Golden Gate Bridge?
From the east side of the bridge. By the tower bearings, the sun lines up with the towers on some days of the year from Hawk Hill, Crissy Field, East Beach, Treasure Island (Building 1). The next one is at Hawk Hill on Feb 24 at 6:46 AM, sunrise right behind the Marin (north) tower. Battery Spencer and the south side look at the bridge in a direction the sun never reaches, so they are for side-lit bridge shots.
Is Battery Spencer good for sunset?
Yes for sunset light on the bridge, no for the sun behind it. From Battery Spencer the bridge lies between 136° and 167° (southeast), while the sun sets between southwest and northwest, so evening light comes from over your right shoulder onto the towers and the city.
Where should I watch sunrise over the Golden Gate Bridge?
Hawk Hill. The bridge lies to the east-southeast from there, so from about mid October to late February the sun comes up between the two towers, and around mid October and late February right behind the north tower.