Ausable Chasm — a canyon in Clinton County, New York — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Keeseville, about 3.1 km (1.9 mi) away (Ausable Chasm lies NNE of town).
Ausable Chasm is a sandstone gorge and tourist attraction located near the hamlet of Keeseville, New York, United States, due west of Port Kent. The gorge is about two miles (3.2 km) long and is about 150 feet (46 m) deep. Ausable Chasm is the namesake of the Ausable River, which runs through the gorge and empties into Lake Champlain about one mile (1.6 km) away. The gorge started forming about 10,000 years ago through headward erosion caused by Rainbow Falls, a 91 feet (28 m) waterfall at the gorge's southern extreme. The gorge is a major tourist attraction and landmark in the Adirondacks region of Upstate New York.From the Wikipedia article “Ausable Chasm”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ausable Chasm the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:58 AM | 90° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 55° NE | 8:43 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:42 AM | 89° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 123° ESE | 4:17 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 49m |
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 | 6:55 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 12m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:21 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 48m |
| June | 4:32 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:18 PM | 15h 32m |
| July | 4:48 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 14m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:36 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:40 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:35 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:12 AM | 3:27 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:49 PM | 8h 51m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Ausable Chasm, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:47 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:45 AM – 4:15 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:51 AM – 3:11 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:09 PM – 2:39 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 1:15 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 11:15 PM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 9:16 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.43 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 56% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 55 | 63 | 74 | 79 | 86 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 91 | 79 | 70 | 60 |
| Low °F | -29 | -27 | -18 | 8 | 27 | 36 | 43 | 45 | 32 | 23 | -7 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
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
- In narrow canyons, reflected light creates orange and purple glows; avoid including bright sky in the frame.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Ausable Chasm, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Lake
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State Park
Lighthouse
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ausable Chasm?
What time is golden hour at Ausable Chasm?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ausable Chasm?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ausable Chasm?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ausable Chasm?
How far is Ausable Chasm from Keeseville?
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.