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There is no shortage of places in the U.S. to watch the sun disappear dramatically behind the horizon. But according to a new study from FloridaRentals.com, some of the country's most famous sunset spots aren't actually the best places to catch a spectacular sky.
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The study analyzed roughly 13,000 locations across the continental U.S., using weather and satellite data from 2020 through 2024 to determine the spots home to the most likely conditions for a vivid sunset (things like cloud cover, humidity, air quality and the openness of the horizon).
The results may surprise anyone who has spent a summer evening looking at a sunset from a beach: The best sunset conditions are generally inland, particularly around high-desert lakes and reservoirs. The combination of dry, clean air, open western views and water reflecting the last light creates the ideal conditions for a colorful sky.
In fact, the study found that famous coastal destinations—including Malibu and Big Sur—don't rank as highly as their dreamy Instagram feeds might suggest. According to the researchers, the problem is cloud cover: California's coast is often either too foggy or too clear, while the most spectacular sunsets tend to require just the right amount of high cloud to catch the fading sunlight.
Instead, head into the desert for the best views, with Utah, Wyoming and Montana taking up the majority of the top 25 slots.
The ranking was created by scoring every roughly 25-kilometer grid cell across the continental U.S., then researchers checked the top-performing areas against terrain data to ensure that the western horizon was actually visible. And a reminder that this ranking represents regions rather than individual addresses and the probability of getting a great sunset. Results may vary, as ever with anything weather-related.
The upshot is that if you're planning a scenic sunset picnic or looking for the perfect golden hour for your wedding day, odds are you'll have more success heading into the desert than to the shoreline. Forget what the algorithms tell you; this is science!
Here are the top 25 places in the U.S. to see the sunset:
1. Great Salt Lake — Utah
2. Flaming Gorge Reservoir — Wyoming
3. Ocean Lake — Wyoming
4. Utah Lake — Utah
5. Pathfinder Reservoir — Wyoming
6. Lake Powell — Utah
7. Lake C.W. McConaughy — Nebraska
8. Caballo Reservoir — New Mexico
9. Brantley Lake — New Mexico
10. Fort Peck Lake — Montana
11. Lake Walcott — Idaho
12. Fresno Reservoir — Montana
13. Rye Patch Reservoir — Nevada
14. Lake Meredith — Texas
15. Tiber Reservoir — Montana
16. Navajo Reservoir — New Mexico
17. Conchas Lake — New Mexico
18. Owyhee Reservoir — Oregon
19. Glendo Reservoir — Wyoming
20. Clark Canyon Reservoir — Montana
21. Lake Oahe — South Dakota
22. San Carlos Reservoir — Arizona
23. Buffalo Bill Reservoir — Wyoming
24. Canyon Ferry Lake — Montana
25. Walker Lake — Nevada