Cedar Creek Canyon is a canyon in Allen County, Indiana. The nearest town is Leo-Cedarville, about 6.0 km (3.7 mi) away (Cedar Creek Canyon lies WNW of town).
Cedar Creek Canyon, also called simply Cedar Canyon, is a topographical feature located in Allen County, Indiana, United States. It is a very straight, narrow gorge about 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 m) deep that contains part of the lower segment of Cedar Creek, the largest tributary of the St. Joseph River. The canyon originated at the end of the last ice age as a tunnel valley, a channel under the Erie Lobe of the Wisconsin Glacier that discharged meltwater under considerable pressure into the ancestral Eel River, a tributary of the Wabash River. Cutting through the north limb of the Wabash Moraine, a debris deposit left by the retreating ice, the discharge left a large outwash fan that blocked the Eel, diverting its upper portion into the canyon in a classic example of stream piracy that formed today's Cedar Creek. This was part of a general drainage reversal that occurred in...From the Wikipedia article “Cedar Creek Canyon (Indiana)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cedar Creek Canyon the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:45 AM | 90° E | 7:53 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:08 AM | 57° ENE | 9:17 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 09m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:28 AM | 89° E | 7:39 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:03 AM | 121° ESE | 5:15 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 12m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Canyons need light from above: rims glow at sunrise and sunset, while deep or narrow sections are brightest near midday when reflected light bounces off the walls.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:34 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:47 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:07 PM | 9h 32m |
| February | 7:08 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 7:26 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:15 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:51 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:02 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 29m |
| June | 5:34 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:49 AM | 8:34 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:49 PM | 15h 08m |
| July | 5:48 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:02 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:45 PM | 14h 52m |
| August | 6:21 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:11 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 6:54 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:58 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:19 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:30 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 7:00 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:52 PM | 9h 53m |
| December | 7:28 AM | 8:00 AM | 8:44 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 13m |
Local time (America/Indiana/Indianapolis), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Cedar Creek Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:57 AM – 5:57 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 5:09 AM – 6:19 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 3:09 AM – 5:19 AM | 2.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 1:06 AM – 4:26 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 11:24 PM – 3:54 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:14 PM – 2:34 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 10:25 PM – 12:25 AM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 9:25 PM – 10:25 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:32 PM – 8:32 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.87 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). July is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 63 | 67 | 82 | 80 | 91 | 103 | 106 | 97 | 98 | 86 | 76 | 66 |
| Low °F | -17 | -11 | -3 | 21 | 25 | 37 | 43 | 44 | 38 | 25 | 11 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this canyon
- Check flash flood forecasts before entering slot or narrow canyons — rain miles away can flood them.
- Dust and sand are hard on gear; change lenses in a bag or with your back to the wind.
- A long lens on a tripod handles the low light inside canyons better than raising ISO.
- From the rim, sunrise and sunset side-light reveals layers; a telephoto picks out buttes and shadows.
- In narrow canyons, reflected light creates orange and purple glows; avoid including bright sky in the frame.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Spring and autumn are comfortable; summer monsoon storms bring dramatic skies but higher flood risk in the Southwest.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Wide and telephoto lenses, Lens blower, Weather radio or app. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Cedar Creek Canyon, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cedar Creek Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Cedar Creek Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cedar Creek Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cedar Creek Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cedar Creek Canyon?
How far is Cedar Creek Canyon from Leo-Cedarville?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.