Juneau, Alaska Sunrise & Sunset Times

Juneau, the capital of Alaska, is unlike any other state capital in the nation — accessible only by air or sea, wedged between the Gastineau Channel and the towering peaks of the Coast Mountains, with the massive Mendenhall Glacier creeping down from the Juneau Icefield just miles from downtown. This remote, rain-soaked capital sits deep within the Tongass National Forest, the largest temperate rainforest in the world, and its relationship with sunlight is one of the most extreme of any American city.

Around the summer solstice, Juneau experiences near-endless daylight, with the sun rising at 03:45 and setting at 22:11, providing an extraordinary 18 hours 25 minutes of light — and even after official sunset, the sky never fully darkens, creating a perpetual twilight that keeps residents hiking, fishing, and kayaking at all hours. During the winter solstice, the picture reverses dramatically: sunrise doesn't come until 08:41 and sunset arrives at just 15:07, leaving only about 6 hours 25 minutes of dim, low-angled daylight. The surrounding mountains further shorten the effective sunshine, casting long shadows across downtown even at midday.

The difference in sunrise times between summer and winter is a staggering 296 minutes, one of the most dramatic seasonal swings of any state capital. For photographers, the summer morning blue hour (02:28 – 03:45) and golden hour (03:45 – 04:45) paint Mendenhall Glacier and Auke Bay in ethereal pastel light that seems to last forever. The evening golden hour (21:11 – 22:11) through blue hour (22:11 – 23:28) in summer can stretch on for hours, bathing the Gastineau Channel and the Douglas Island ridgeline in a soft, golden glow that feels almost otherworldly — a reminder that in Juneau, the sun doesn't just rise and set, it puts on a performance unlike anywhere else in America.