Golden Hour
Where to stand for first and last light, from east-facing ocean to west-facing bay.
Tonight in East Hampton
Sunrise
6:25 AM
Arrive 20–30 minutes earlier for the first color.
Sunset
7:05 PM
Arrive 30 minutes before for golden-hour light.
Loading tonight’s sunset…
Sunrise east-facing · Sunset west-facing · Both the rare 360° spots, like Montauk Point
Showing 25 of 25 viewpoints (1 sunrise-only · 22 sunset-only · 2 both)
22 spots
Public viewpoints
Public viewpoint · ←W
Big Reed Pond / Theodore Roosevelt County Park
Sunset-bestMontauk
Parking: County park lot; day-use fee
Source: Suffolk County Parks
Photo: Hayden Soloviev (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons Public viewpoint · ↖NW
Montauk Point Lighthouse
BothMontauk
Parking: Montauk Point State Park lot; $8 per car, collected 8 am-4 pm in season
Source: NY State Parks - Montauk Point State Park
Public viewpoint · ←W
Hither Hills Overlook
Sunset-bestMontauk
Parking: Hither Hills State Park lot
Source: NY State Parks
Public viewpoint · ←W
Lazy Point (Napeague Harbor)
Sunset-bestAmagansett
Parking: Lazy Point Road; East Hampton Town resident beach permit in season (Town Clerk 631-324-4142)
Source: Town of East Hampton - Beaches
Public viewpoint · ←W
Louse Point
Sunset-bestSprings
Parking: Small lot; permit in season
Source: Town of East Hampton Parks — Louse Point facility page
Beach · ↖NW
Maidstone Park
Sunset-bestSprings
Parking: Town lot; permit in season
Source: Town of East Hampton Parks — Maidstone Park facility page
Beach · ↖NW
Havens Beach
Sunset-bestSag Harbor
Parking: Havens Beach lot; all-day parking with a Sag Harbor Village permit (residents and property owners only)
Source: Village of Sag Harbor - 2026 Parking Permit Application
Photo: Americasroof (CC BY-SA 2.5), via Wikimedia Commons Public viewpoint · ←W
Cedar Point County Park
BothEast Hampton
Parking: County lot; parking fee per vehicle
Source: Suffolk County Parks — Cedar Point County Park (the live county site blocks every request; read via the Internet Archive)
Photo: Leonard J. DeFrancisci (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons Public viewpoint · ←W
Towd Point (North Sea)
Sunset-bestNorth Sea
Parking: Roadside; permit in season
Source: Town of Southampton — beach parking information & facilities map
Public viewpoint · ←W
Mecox Bay Overlook
Sunset-bestBridgehampton
Parking: Roadside on Mecox Road
Source: Hamptons Magazine sunset roundup
Photo: Michael Galpert (CC BY 2.0), via Flickr Public viewpoint · ↘SE
Ditch Plains
Sunrise-bestMontauk
Parking: Ditch Plains Road lot; East Hampton Town resident beach permit in season (Town Clerk 631-324-4142)
Source: Town of East Hampton - Beaches
Beach · ↖NW
Long Beach Noyack
Sunset-bestNoyack
Parking: Town of Southampton lot on Long Beach Road; town beach permit, or a daily permit through the Passport Parking app
Source: Town of Southampton - 2026 Beach Parking Permits
Bars, restaurants & terraces
Bar/Restaurant · ←W
$$$Montauk
Parking: On-site lot
16 Navy Road, Montauk, NY 11954
Source: Navy Beach — location & directions page
Bar/Restaurant · ←W
$$$Montauk
Parking: Limited on-site
65 Tuthill Road, Montauk, NY 11954
Source: Duryea's — Montauk location page
Bar/Restaurant · ←W
$$$Montauk
Parking: Extremely limited on site; taxi recommended
4 Old West Lake Drive, Montauk, NY 11954
Source: The Crow's Nest — hours & location page
Bar/Restaurant · ←W
$$Gosman's Dock
Sunset-bestMontauk
Parking: On-site lot
484 W Lake Drive, Montauk, NY 11954
Source: Operator official site
Hotel terrace · ←W
$$$$Montauk
Parking: Valet
183 Edgemere Street, Montauk, NY 11954
Source: The Surf Lodge — contact page (address only; no hours published)
Bar/Restaurant · ↖NW
$$$Sag Harbor
Parking: Street; nearby village lots
8 W Water Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Source: The Beacon — season & hours page
Hotel terrace · ←W
$$$$Faraway Sag Harbor terrace (former Baron's Cove)
Sunset-bestSag Harbor
Parking: Valet
31 W Water Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963
Source: Faraway Sag Harbor — directions page (address only; no hours published)
Photo: Wölffer Estate Vineyard (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons Vineyard · ←W
$$$Wolffer Estate Vineyard
Sunset-bestSagaponack
Parking: On-site lot
139 Sagg Road, Sagaponack, NY 11962
Source: Wölffer Estate — tasting room hours page
Vineyard · ←W
$$Bridgehampton
Parking: On-site lot
1927 Scuttlehole Road, Bridgehampton, NY 11932
Source: Channing Daughters — Visit Us page
Hotel terrace · ←W
$$$$Topping Rose House Terrace
Sunset-bestBridgehampton
Parking: Valet
1 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Tpke, Bridgehampton, NY 11932
Source: Topping Rose House — Jean-Georges dining page
1 spot
Bars, restaurants & terraces
Bar/Restaurant · ←W
$$$Sunset Beach
Sunset-bestShelter Island
Parking: Valet and lot
35 Shore Road, Shelter Island Heights, NY 11965
Source: Operator official site
2 spots
Public viewpoints
Photo: GoBlue9 (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons Public viewpoint · ←W
Orient Point
Sunset-bestOrient
Parking: State park lot; fee in season
Source: NY State Parks
Public viewpoint · ↙SW
Robins Island View (New Suffolk)
Sunset-bestNew Suffolk
Parking: Village street parking
Source: North Fork Patch sunset guide
Why the East End has the best golden hour in the Northeast
A narrow east–west island, surrounded by Atlantic, bays, and sheltered coves. That is the trick: sunrise and sunset can both meet open water here.
- Sunrise
Ditch Plains · Montauk - Sunset
Long Beach · Noyack - Both
Montauk Point · Orient