Golden hour in Portland in December

Portland lies at 45.52° N, in the upper mid-latitudes, with long, slanted evening light in summer. Its longest measured day falls on Thu 18 June 2026 with 15h 41m of daylight, and its shortest on Sat 19 December 2026 with 8h 42m — a difference of 6h 59m between the two extremes.

Evening golden hour in Portland runs for roughly 46 minutes at the height of summer, 39 minutes around the March equinox and 50 minutes at midwinter. The warm window is actually widest in the colder months, which makes winter evenings unusually forgiving here.

The sun sets toward 306° NW in late June and toward 236° WSW in late December, a shift of about 69° in where the last light lands — worth checking before committing to a west-facing viewpoint. In Portland, the sky reaches full darkness between evening and morning twilight year-round.