The Golden Gate at Golden Hour

San Francisco's coastline faces west across the Pacific, and the Golden Gate Bridge sits at the mouth of the bay aligned almost precisely north-south. For sunrise, Twin Peaks at 280 meters frames the Bay Bridge and downtown skyline from the southwest as early light crosses the bay from Oakland. The Golden Gate earns its name in late afternoon: from Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands (north side of the bridge), the towers glow against the city and Mount Tamalpais. Baker Beach (south side) aligns the bridge against the Marin hills. At 37.8°N, golden hour runs about 39 minutes. Summer fog is the constraint: the bridge disappears into marine layer most June and July afternoons, while September and October typically offer the cleanest light. The bay itself, calm on flood tides, doubles every colour as a mirror.