Phoenix, Arizona Sunrise & Sunset Times

Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, sprawls across the northern reaches of the Sonoran Desert, ringed by rugged mountain ranges like the McDowell Mountains, South Mountain, and Camelback Mountain. As one of the sunniest capitals in the nation, Phoenix enjoys remarkably clear skies nearly year-round, with the stark desert landscape amplifying the drama of every sunrise and sunset. The dry air and minimal cloud cover create vivid, unobstructed views of the sun's daily arc across the wide desert sky.

Around the summer solstice, the sun rises at 05:17 and sets at 19:43, delivering 14 hours 25 minutes of intense desert daylight — long, scorching days when locals seek refuge in air conditioning or cool off at Tempe Town Lake as evening approaches. During the winter solstice, sunrise arrives at 07:27 with sunset at 17:25, offering about 9 hours 58 minutes of daylight and the mild, pleasant temperatures that draw snowbirds from across the country. Winter is truly Phoenix's outdoor season, when the desert comes alive with hikers, golfers, and patio diners.

The difference in sunrise times between summer and winter spans 130 minutes, a shift that desert residents feel keenly as the seasons turn. Photographers treasure the morning blue hour (04:49 – 05:17) and golden hour (05:17 – 06:17) for capturing Camelback Mountain glowing orange against a pastel sky, or the Papago Buttes lit up like sculpted sandstone. In the evening, the golden hour (18:43 – 19:43) through blue hour (19:43 – 20:10) transforms the western horizon into layers of crimson, amber, and purple — the kind of sunset that makes you pull over on the side of the road, because no photograph ever quite does a Phoenix sunset justice.