Hamptons Verified
Golden Hour
The first and last light. Where to stand for both — verified east-facing viewpoints for sunrise, west-facing for sunset, and the rare 360° spots like Montauk Point that work for either.
Tonight in East Hampton
Sunrise
5:41 AM
Arrive 20–30 minutes earlier for the first color.
Sunset
8:09 PM
Arrive 30 minutes before for golden-hour light.
Loading tonight's sunset…
Pick sunrise to find east-facing viewpoints, sunset for west-facing, or both for the rare 360° spots like Montauk Point.
Showing 18 of 29 viewpoints (1 sunrise-only · 26 sunset-only · 2 both)
Public viewpoints
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 · Verified 2026-07-20
Public viewpoint · →W
Mecox Bay Overlook
Sunset-bestBridgehampton
Parking: Roadside on Mecox Road
Source: Hamptons Magazine sunset roundup · Verified 2026-04-08
Public viewpoint · →W
Three Mile Harbor Causeway
Sunset-bestEast Hampton
Parking: Roadside
Source: Hamptons Magazine sunset roundup · Verified 2026-07-20
Photo: The original uploader was Americasroof at English Wikipedia. (CC BY-SA 2.5), via Wikimedia Commons Public viewpoint · →W
Cedar Point County Park
BothEast Hampton
Parking: County lot; day-use fee
Source: Suffolk County Parks · Verified 2026-04-08
Public viewpoint · →W
Napeague Harbor / Lazy Point
Sunset-bestAmagansett
Parking: Lazy Point Road; resident permit in summer
Source: Hamptons Magazine sunset roundup · Verified 2026-04-08
Public viewpoint · →W
Louse Point
Sunset-bestSprings
Parking: Small lot; permit in season
Source: Hamptons Magazine sunset roundup · Verified 2026-07-20
Beach · ↗NW
Maidstone Park
Sunset-bestSprings
Parking: Town lot; permit in season
Source: Town of East Hampton · Verified 2026-07-20
Public viewpoint · →W
Big Reed Pond / Theodore Roosevelt County Park
Sunset-bestMontauk
Parking: County park lot; day-use fee
Source: Suffolk County Parks · Verified 2026-04-08
Photo: Hayden Soloviev (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons Public viewpoint · ↗NW
Montauk Point Lighthouse
BothMontauk
Parking: State park lot; fee in season
Source: Montauk Lighthouse official · Verified 2026-04-08
Public viewpoint · →W
Hither Hills Overlook
Sunset-bestMontauk
Parking: Hither Hills State Park lot
Source: NY State Parks · Verified 2026-07-20
Photo: Giorgio Galeotti (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons Public viewpoint · ↙SE
Ditch Plains
Sunrise-bestMontauk
Parking: Ditch Plains Road lot; permit required in summer
Source: Editorial — v6.240.1 canonical sunrise viewpoint · Verified 2026-04-11
Public viewpoint · ↘SW
Robins Island View (New Suffolk)
Sunset-bestNew Suffolk
Parking: Village street parking
Source: North Fork Patch sunset guide · Verified 2026-07-20
Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net). (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 · Verified 2026-07-20
Public viewpoint · →W
Sunset Beach (Shelter Island)
Sunset-bestShelter Island
Parking: Roadside along Shore Road; limited in season
Source: Hamptons Magazine sunset roundup · Verified 2026-04-08
Public viewpoint · ↗NW
Long Beach (Sag Harbor)
Sunset-bestSag Harbor
Parking: Long Beach Road lot; permit required in summer
Source: Hamptons Magazine sunset roundup · Verified 2026-04-07
Photo: CaptJayRuffins (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons Beach · ↗NW
Foster Memorial Long Beach
Sunset-bestSag Harbor
Parking: On-site lot; resident permit in season
Source: Town of Southampton parks · Verified 2026-04-08
Photo: CaptJayRuffins (BY-SA 4.0), via wikimedia Beach · ↗NW
Havens Beach
Sunset-bestSag Harbor
Parking: On-site lot
Source: Sag Harbor Village · Verified 2026-04-08
Public viewpoint · ↗NW
Long Beach Noyack
Sunset-bestNoyack
Parking: Long Beach Road lot; resident sticker required in summer, open to all after 6 PM
Source: Editorial — v6.240.1 canonical sunset viewpoint · Verified 2026-04-11
Why the East End has the best golden hour in the Northeast
Long Island runs almost due east–west, a narrow finger of moraine pointing out into the Atlantic. That geometry is the whole secret. On most of the Northeast coast, the water sits to the east — you get a clean sunrise over the ocean, then the sun sets behind the continent. Here, the bays on the North Fork and the South Fork face west, the open Atlantic sits to the south and east, and the twin forks curl around Peconic and Gardiners bays so that the water is on three sides of you at once.
The practical result: first light breaks over open water at places like Ditch Plains in Montauk, and last light sinks into open water at places like Long Beach in Noyack. A handful of spots — Montauk Point, the outer tip of Orient — give you both without moving the car. No other stretch of the Atlantic coast north of Cape Hatteras offers that trick.
The viewpoints below are sorted by hamlet from west to east, with a facing badge on every card so you know whether to go at 6 AM or 7 PM — or both.