East Coast Sunsets over Water

We all have visions of a romantic Hollywood movie with a classic California scene. Naturally it includes a vibrant sunset over calm Pacific waters.

I recall a conversation I had a number of years ago with a west coast native. He raved about those sunsets with an air of superiority. Obviously people on the east coast of the United States led deprived and empty lives. Those unfortunate soles could only experience sunsets over land. “Oh yeh,” I replied, “what about this?”

Virginia Eastern Shore. Photo by howderfamily.com; (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Sunset over Water Happening in an Eastern state!

The Situation at Silver Beach

This is a scene from Silver Beach, in Northampton County, Virginia. It sits on Virginia’s eastern shore. That’s the narrow sandy strip physically separated from the remainder of the Commonwealth by the Chesapeake Bay. At that spot it also forms the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula. I went there each summer for a number of years to visit with some friends and enjoy a relaxing beach weekend.

As anyone can plainly see, the photo shows a sunset completely over water. No visible land appears anywhere out to the distant horizon. What’s more, someone with the proper ambition could wake up the next morning, drive to the other side of this narrow peninsula, and watch the sun rise over water too. Take that, west coasties!


How it’s Possible

The Chesapeake Bay is about 15 miles wide at this spot so the distance is longer than the line of site distance from the shoreline. Formulas involving elevation and curvature of the earth define this distance. Atmospherics, individual eyesight and other factors further limit it. However, Wikipedia’s Horizon page describes it a whole lot better than what I want to cover here so that’s where you should go.

Someone sitting along the shore, maybe on a little sand dune for some added elevation, can see out perhaps 3 to 5 miles on a clear day. Result: sunset over water.

That’s not a particularly high bar when you think about it. Someone should be able to experience this phenomenon in literally dozens of places in the Eastern United States. I pulled out a map and quickly came up with several candidates that are part of the mainland. Offshore islands are already natural choices so I ignored them. Even though, I probably missed numerous worthy options.

Big duh for obviousness

  • The entire western coast of the Florida peninsula along the Gulf of Mexico.

Other fairly obvious spots

  • The upper end of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
  • Cape May, New Jersey. I’ve been on the other side of Delaware Bay and I couldn’t see across so I imagine the reverse must be true.
  • Many locations along the Virginia and Maryland eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay in addition to the example above. That assumes it’s a spot away from the line of sight of the mid-bay islands
  • Cape Hatteras and other portions of the North Carolina outer banks
  • The eastern shore of Lake Okeechobee, Florida
  • Numerous spots along the Great Lakes, including almost the entire western edge of the Michigan mitten. Bunches of spots in Ontario too, if you want to include Canada in this game.

Maybe?

  • Portions of the North Carolina mainland facing Albemarle Sound.
  • The bump on the Florida panhandle south of Panama City.
  • The eastern shore of some of the larger lakes in Minnesota (e.g., Mille Lacs Lake; Red Lake)

UPDATE: You might also enjoy the later entry focused on for the opposite condition, West Coast Sunrises over Water.

Comments

12 responses to “East Coast Sunsets over Water”

  1. Matthew Avatar

    Nice article. This made me wonder whether there is a point on the west coast of the USA where one can see a sunrise over water (other than, say, Hilo, HI)? Might make a good companion article to this one.

  2. Twelve Mile Circle Avatar

    Good suggestion, Matthew. Off the top of my head I’d think the Kenai Peninsula and perhaps points along Puget Sound. My favorite geo-weird spot in the Western U.S. might also make the cut. I’ll have to pull out my old photos and check. If you’d like a hint, check here.

  3. Scott Schrantz Avatar

    Puget Sound wouldn’t work, it’s not wide enough. Plus there are mountains on the other side, which means you need a lot more than 3-5 miles before the opposite shore would disappear. Even on the eastern shore of Vancouver Island you can easily see the mainland.

    Although at the right time of year you probably could go to the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula, and line up the sunrise right down the center of the Strait of Juan De Fuca.

  4. Twelve Mile Circle Avatar

    Scott, you’re absolutely right. I pulled out some old photos from a clear day, and sure enough, mountains all over the background. Even up the Strait of Georgia at Point Roberts we’re likely to have the same backdrop with Mt. Baker topping out above 10,000 feet. Blame it on my east coast “everything is flat” mentality. The NW Olympic Peninsula idea seems promising. Maybe California’s Channel Islands. This one’s going to be a lot tougher than I thought.

  5. Twelve Mile Circle Avatar

    Great catch, Scott. Our proof that someone in Port Angeles can see an over-the-water sunrise during at least some portion of the year! The little nob with the town of Dungeness due east of Port Angeles might also be outside of their line of sight, which could add to the number of days with water sunrises. It’s right on the cusp though; about 12-15 miles away with an elevation of about 100-150 feet.

  6. Josephine Westenberger Avatar
    Josephine Westenberger

    You’re absolutely correct about the Delaware Bay. I live in a little town called Villas, New Jersey which is on the Delaware Bay. The sunsets here are breathtaking. Completely over water and outstanding!!!!

  7. east coast beaches Avatar
    east coast beaches

    Think about it. People on the eastern side of any landmass don’t have many opportunities to view sunsets over water. Sure, they’re offered opportunities to observe sunrises over water just about anywhere but sunsets are another matter entirely. Those places do exist in a few lucky spots under optimal geographic conditions, and we had lots of fun exploring them vicariously.

  8. BuffaloJerseyGirl Avatar
    BuffaloJerseyGirl

    As someone who grew up in Buffalo, NY, I can tell you with certainty that we have a popular party spot, appropriately called Sunset Bay where we you can watch the sun set over Lake Erie every night, without any visible land in view.

  9. Peter Todenhagen Avatar
    Peter Todenhagen

    Buffalo, NY has some of the nicest sunsets in the World looking out into Lake Erie. No land is visable, just like being at the ocean.

  10. Aaron of Minneapolis Avatar
    Aaron of Minneapolis

    I can confirm Mille Lacs in MN — sort of. I’ve been by it many times since babyhood on the way up to the family cabin, and it is too big to see across completely, even with the extra 10 feet or so of elevation in places from Hwy 169 (which runs along the west shore). The shore curves toward the horizon, getting smaller and smaller until the trees disappear over it — but you don’t have to turn your head very far to see where, so it doesn’t seem quite as endless as the Great Lakes or the ocean.

  11. Michael Avatar
    Michael

    The beaches in Brunswick County, NC (Ocean Isle, Sunset (aptly named, hah), Holden Beach, Oak Island) can all view the sunset over the actual ocean for a couple of months in the winter months. The reason for this is the beaches are facing North/South.

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