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Photo locations · San Francisco · United States

Marshall’s Beach Golden Gate View: sunset 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.

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Will today's sunset 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 7h 6m

Pale clear glow

Exactly at sunset: Fair

Starts

in 6h 28m

Harsh directional light · backlit landscapes; harsh for portraits

Sky colors

Golden hour
Sunset

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 sunset.

  • Light path: clear (19% blocking cloud at the ray's height)
  • Sun: may be hidden. Some low cloud toward the horizon (47%) may hide the sun on and off.
Viewer's line of sight, tangent to the Earth at your locationNear-ground relative humidity8% cover — too thin to draw as cloudConnected cloud layer · 55–55% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 27–27% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 27–37% cover · 10–25% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–63% cover · 45–65% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 55–55% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 37–37% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 42–63% cover · 45–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 55–55% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 63–63% cover · 10–10% visual uncertaintylow cloud · 30% reported, 3% resolved on a pressure surface — 27% is somewhere between 0 and 3 kmlow cloud · 30% reported, 3% resolved on a pressure surface — 27% is somewhere between 0.01 and 3 kmlow cloud · 30% reported, 3% resolved on a pressure surface — 27% is somewhere between 0 and 3 kmlow cloud · 20% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 20% is somewhere between 0 and 3 kmlow cloud · 47% reported, 0% resolved on a pressure surface — 47% is somewhere between 0 and 3 km-5 km · the model says the lowest depicted cloud underside may catch red light0 km · the model says the lowest depicted cloud underside may catch red light5 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 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 sunset.

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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