Phoenix, Arizona Moonrise & Moonset Times

Phoenix, the sun-drenched capital of Arizona, spreads across the Salt River Valley surrounded by the rugged profiles of Camelback Mountain, South Mountain, and the McDowell Range — a desert landscape where dry air and minimal cloud cover create exceptional clarity for observing the moon. Today's moonrise is at 21:14 and moonset at 05:57. As the last warmth of sunset fades from the sandstone peaks, the moon ascending over the Superstition Mountains to the east bathes the Sonoran Desert in a cool, silvery wash that turns saguaro cacti into tall silhouettes standing like sentinels against a luminous sky.

Papago Park, with its iconic red butte formations, becomes a striking moongazing destination when the full moon floats between the weathered sandstone pillars and reflects in the park's lagoons below. South Mountain Park and Preserve, one of the largest municipal parks in the country, offers elevated viewpoints where the entire valley floor glimmers under moonlight, and the distant city grid appears as a field of tiny sparks beneath the vast desert firmament. Winter months, when the atmosphere is driest, produce the sharpest views of lunar maria and crater rims — ideal for telescope enthusiasts gathering at Dobbins Lookout.

Knowing the moon's schedule enhances countless Phoenix activities, from evening trail runs along the National Trail to nighttime drives through the scenic Apache Trail corridor east of the city. The valley's flat basin and surrounding mountain silhouettes mean the moon often appears to rest momentarily on a jagged ridgeline before lifting free, a spectacle that reminds residents and visitors alike of the raw, uncluttered beauty that defines the Arizona desert after dark.