7 Canadian Destinations Named In Journeyscape’s Top 10 ‘World’s Best Golden Hour’ Locations
Downtown Vancouver cityscape from Queen Elizabeth Park at winter
gettyGolden hour is one of the best times to be outside and enjoying the evening sun; the lighting during golden hour is unlike any other time of day and gives way to a fleeting warmth that's both romantic and somewhat nostalgic.
A new study by holiday specialists Journeyscape has ranked the world's best destinations for golden hour by analyzing things like sunset times and the average duration of civil twilight (the period of light between sunset and total darkness). The results showed that Canada is the spot to be for golden hour. Canada is home to seven of the world's top 10 according to the data.
Here are the destinations offering the best golden-hour windows, per Journeyscape data:
Whitehorse, Canada
Whitehorse earns the top spot with an impressive 76 minutes of civil twilight on average. The northern location means that it has particularly long summer evenings with sunset occurring around 10:54 p.m.
Anchorage, United States
The largest city in Alaska earns second place with a total of 72.2 minutes of civil twilight. Anchorage sees around 16 hours of daylight in the summertime with sunset occurring at around 10:59 p.m.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Hallgrimskirkja church and Reykjavik cityscape in Iceland aerial view
In third place is another relatively northern city: Reykjavik. The capital of Iceland gets about 72 minutes of golden hour sunlight, and sunset in the summertime occurs at approximately 11:03 p.m.
Juneau, United States
The second Alaskan city on the list, Juneau, takes fourth place with just under an hour (59.9 minutes) of average civil twilight. The mountainous landscape and wilderness also help this destination earn its place as a stunning spot for sundown.
Jasper, Canada
Jasper cracks the top five with 43.2 minutes of golden hour light on average, making it the highest-ranked destination in the Canadian Rockies.
Banff, Canada
Breathtakingly beautiful scenery of the famous Lake Louis in Banff National Park found in Alberta, Canada.
Coming in closely behind Jasper is its neighbor, Banff. Banff boasts 40.3 minutes of civil twilight on average with some of the most recognizable mountain scenery in the world.
Calgary, Canada
The third destination in Alberta to make the list, Calgary boasts an average civil twilight window of about 40.1 minutes, which puts it at seventh place globally.
Whistler, Canada
The next Canadian destination is British Columbia's Whistler with an average civil twilight window of 38.7 minutes. This is another destination plenty with mountains, forests, and lakes which gives it a further edge for golden hour.
Kelowna, Canada
A stunning view of Kelowna and Okanagan Lake at sunset, with warm colours illuminating the sky and reflecting on the water and foreground.
Located in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Kelowna earns ninth place on the list with an average civil twilight window of 38.4 minutes. The lake views and vineyards make this spot particularly appealing for golden hour adult beverages.
Vancouver, Canada
In tenth place is Vancouver with an average civil twilight window of 37.6 minutes. Between the city skyline, mountains, and ocean views, Vancouver is by far one of the most memorable cities for spending golden hour.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
