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Photo locations · San Francisco · United States

Marshall’s Beach Golden Gate View: sunrise photography forecast

Marshall’s Beach puts the Golden Gate Bridge above a raw, west-facing shoreline, close enough for the bridge to dominate without losing the Marin Headlands. The best foreground changes with every tide.

Sunset todaySunset tomorrowSunset Tuesday

Will tomorrow's sunrise be worth it?

Simplified forecast from the open model run. The full forecast — a second model, your exact viewpoint, the hourly cloud timeline — is in the app.

Global model, about 13 km: less certain than in Europe.

in 15h 41m

Heavy haze

Ends

in 16h 18m

Diffused muted light · even light for details & forests

Sky colors

Golden hour
Sunrise

Light corridor: open

Why: The sun's path is clear at the height its low light travels, so the light can reach the clouds at sunrise.

  • Light path: clear (0% blocking cloud at the ray's height)
  • Sun: likely hidden. Low cloud fills the horizon (100%); the sun will probably stay behind it.
Viewer's line of sight, tangent to the Earth at your locationNear-ground relative humidity9% cover — too thin to draw as cloud9% cover — too thin to draw as cloud9% cover — too thin to draw as cloudConnected cloud layer · 40–40% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 31–51% cover · 45–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 40–40% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 42–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 51–51% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 100–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 100–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 100–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintylow cloud · 50% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 50% is somewhere between 0 and 3 kmlow cloud · 50% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 50% is somewhere between 0.01 and 3 kmlow cloud · 100% reported, 40% resolved on a pressure surface — 60% is somewhere between 0.07 and 3 kmlow cloud · 50% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 50% is somewhere between 0 and 3 kmhigh cloud · 61% reported, 42% resolved on a pressure surface — 19% is somewhere between 8 and 12 km5 km · the model says the lowest depicted cloud underside may catch orange light5 km · the model says the lowest depicted cloud underside may catch red light · lit on one reading: the strongest cloud toward the sun was set aside, and counting it would have darkened this deck20 km · the model says the lowest depicted cloud underside may catch red light50 km · the model says the lowest depicted cloud underside may catch red light100 km · the model says the lowest depicted cloud underside may catch red light

Terrain is drawn for illustration only — it is not used to calculate underlight or obstruction.

cloud-cover fieldinterpolation uncertaintysun directionnear-ground humiditycloud at unresolved heightmodelled underlightunderlight · height uncertainunderlight · lit on one readinglit but hidden behind nearer cloud

Forecast refreshed a few hours before sunrise.

Know the light
before it happens

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For photographers: shooting Marshall’s Beach Golden Gate View

Best months

September to November often brings clearer evenings; winter has lower sun and bigger surf, while summer fog can either hide the bridge or make the frame.

Suggested focal lengths

24–50 mm for rocks, surf and bridge; 70–135 mm for bridge towers in fog.

Composition

Use wet rocks as a broken lead-in and time waves rather than relying on very long exposures. Keep a safe route behind you as the water rises.

Recommended arrival

Start down 75 minutes before sunset and leave enough twilight for the steep return.

Access planning

Check tide, swell and Presidio trail notices. The beach is narrow at high water and the bluffs are unstable.

Parking: Limited roadside or Presidio parking near the Batteries to Bluffs trailheads; observe posted restrictions.

Approach: Roughly 20–30 minutes down stairs and a steep coastal trail.

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