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 9 of 25 viewpoints (1 sunrise-only · 22 sunset-only · 2 both)
9 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
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
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)
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