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An April 2026 report on the best spots to catch the sunset found that San Diego has the most beautiful golden hours in America. With Instagram seeing over 40 million sunset photos posted annually, a new study by the digital entertainment platform JB.com reveals which cities get the longest and most vivid twilights.
San Diego gets the most beautiful golden hours in America, with clear skies and long twilight hours.
With nearly 120K Instagram photos, Maui’s sunsets are one of the most popular on social media.
Chicago beats New York for sunset viewing, drawing over 2.4 million people looking for places to watch the sky turn orange over Lake Michigan.
The research examined major American cities to find where golden hours look the best and last the longest. The study first analyzed online popularity, looking at how often people share sunset photos on Instagram and how many search online for golden hour spots in each city. The report also considered annual hours of clear sunshine, air quality ratings that impact color visibility, and the average length of twilight periods. Cities were finally ranked based on all these factors.
Here’s a look at the top 10 cities with the most beautiful golden hours:
You can access the complete research findings here.
1. San Diego, California
Instagram sunset posts: 104K
Annual sunshine hours: 3,069
Air quality index: 70.3
Twilight duration: 26.1 minutes
San Diego has the best golden hours in America. The Southern California city gets over 3,000 annual sunshine hours, which means residents can see clear sunsets most evenings. Plus, twilight also lasts 26 minutes on average, giving photographers enough time to watch and capture how the sky shifts from blue to pink. As a result, many people share this beauty online, posting 104K sunset photos from spots like Sunset Cliffs and La Jolla Cove.
2. Maui, Hawaii
Maui comes second with sunsets that draw visitors year-round. The Hawaiian island has many Instagram-friendly spots and sees 128K sunset photos posted on IG, mostly from popular lookouts like Haleakalā Summit. Clean Pacific air gives Maui an 85/100 air quality score, the second-best nationally, which creates sharp color contrasts during twilight hours. The island also records nearly 3,000 sunshine hours each year, keeping skies clear for evening viewing.
3. Chicago, Illinois
Chicago comes next on the list. Despite having fewer sunny days than western cities, the lakefront still gives viewers unobstructed horizon views here. Plus, the city’s twilight stretches to 30 minutes, among the longest in the country. That’s why more than 2.4 million people look up Chicago sunset spots each month, while another 30K post their golden hour shots on Instagram.
4. Miami, Florida
Miami is another great option for Instagrammable sunsets. South Florida gets 3,122 sunshine hours per year, which means clear evening skies happen more often here than in northern cities. Air quality is also high (71/100), letting vivid colors show through each night. Residents here take advantage of this: they share 90K sunset photos annually from waterfront spots like South Pointe Park Pier, where you can watch the sun drop directly into the ocean.
5. Denver, Colorado
Denver rounds out the top five with mountain sunsets that draw many. Around 1.5 million people are searching for sunset locations here, because the Rockies create beautiful backdrops you won’t find in flat cities. Denver gets 3K+ sunshine hours each year, nearly the same as Miami, so clear skies are normal, too. Twilight also lasts 29 minutes here, giving visitors more time to enjoy watching how the sun sinks behind the peaks.
The CEO of JB.com commented on the study:
“Sunset tourism has become a real thing. When a lookout point gets tagged in 50K Instagram photos, local governments notice because it brings tourists. That’s why you’re seeing new observation decks, designated parking areas, and improved trails at popular sunset locations. Miami and its South Pointe Park are good examples of all this.”
