In July, typical afternoon highs at Plymouth Rock run around 81°F (warm). Mid-afternoon sun stands about 56° high, and the sun is up from 5:20 AM to 8:16 PM. Historic districts usually offer building shade on one side of the street as the sun moves.
See live sun & real shadows here →| January | 35°F |
| February | 39°F |
| March | 49°F |
| April | 57°F |
| May | 65°F |
| June | 76°F |
| July | 81°F |
| August | 76°F |
| September | 71°F |
| October | 62°F |
| November | 51°F |
| December | 40°F |
Historic districts usually offer building shade on one side of the street as the sun moves. See real building shadows over satellite imagery for any time of day: https://isthereshade.com/?anywhere&at=41.95808,-70.66214
Around 8:16 PM local time in mid-July (it shifts through the year). Sunrise is about 5:20 AM.
Plymouth Rock · Plymouth, MA. Data: exact sun position; climate normals from historical weather; live forecast on the interactive view.
The rock itself is one of the few landmarks that comes with its own shade. Plymouth Rock sits below a columned granite portico on the Plymouth waterfront, so the stone you have come to see is under cover even at midday. The catch is everything around it: the harborside walkways, the open lawns, and the memorials nearby are exposed, and that is where you actually spend your time. Massachusetts summers are moderate, July afternoons here peak near 81°F, so this is a comfortable visit that rewards a little timing rather than a heat-survival plan.
The portico shelters the rock, but it shelters little else. Along the waterfront the walkways are open, with the harbor throwing extra light back at you. At 3 PM in high summer the sun sits about 56 degrees high on a west-southwest bearing near 244 degrees, so shade builds on the northeast-facing sides of the buildings and monuments as the afternoon goes on. The nearby lawns and the pier areas are the sunniest, most exposed parts of the visit, pleasant on a mild day, but with no canopy to duck under once you step away from the portico.
Sunrise in July comes early here, near 5:20 AM, with sunset around 8:16 PM. The exposed middle of the day is bright but rarely oppressive.
Because summer tops out near 81°F, there is no heat-danger window to plan around. Spring and fall are cooler still, May near 65°F, September around 71°F, and both make an easy, uncrowded visit if you would rather skip the summer peak.
Most of a Plymouth visit happens along the open harbor: the walk to the rock, the memorials, the view out over the water. That stretch is fully exposed, cooled mainly by the sea breeze rather than any shade. Save the open lawns and pier for morning or late afternoon, and use the portico over the rock, plus whatever building shade the hour gives you, for the brightest part of the day.
To see how the buildings and portico cast their shadows along the waterfront at your planned hour, open the satellite shadow view before you go.