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40.4114° N123.0120° WBortle 2Los Angeles

Hall City Cave Photography Guide

Cave in Shasta County, California

  • Bortle 2 sky
  • Sunset azimuth 239°–302°
  • Clearest: July
  • Milky Way Mar–Sep

Hall City Cave is a cave in Shasta County, California. It sits roughly 22 km (13 mi) SE of Hayfork.

The Hall City Cave is a limestone cave system near Hayfork, California, United States. Exploration was documented in 1903, with a Permian age ammonite fossil discovered. A cavern in the Hall City Cave contains a deep shaft of water. The Hall City Cave was a sacred place for the Nor-el-muk and other Wintu Native Americans. Edith Van Allen Murphy interviewed a long-surviving Wintu woman named Lucy; the papers are kept at the Held-Poage Museum in Ukiah, California in the Estle Beard Notes, box 2, Notebook g, p 15From the Wikipedia article “Hall City Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Nearest town
Hayfork
22 km (13 mi)
Sky darkness
Bortle 2
Typical truly dark site
Clearest month
July
17% cloud
Milky Way peak
June
4.7 h window
Golden hour (Oct)
5:56 PM
sunset 6:33 PM

Light at Hall City Cave

Live
Sunrise
7:29 AM
Sunset
6:26 PM
Golden hour AM
7:12 AM – 8:06 AM
Golden hour PM
5:49 PM – 6:43 PM
Blue hour AM
7:01 AM – 7:12 AM
Blue hour PM
6:43 PM – 6:54 PM
Full darkness
7:57 PM – 5:59 AM
Moon
Waxing Gibbous · 71%
Moonrise / set
3:44 PM / 1:33 AM
Day length
10h 57m
Sunrise azimuth
103°
Sunset azimuth
257°
000306091215182124
NightTwilightBlue hourGolden hourDaylight

Times in America/Los Angeles. Golden hour = sun −4° to +6°; blue hour = −6° to −4°.

Clouds at sunrise & sunset

NWS

Hourly sky cover from the National Weather Service. 20–60% cloud often gives the most colorful sunrises and sunsets.

Sunrise & sunset directions

At Hall City Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.

NESW60°30°
June solsticeEquinoxesDecember solstice
DateSunriseAzimuthSunsetAzimuthNoon sunDaylight
March equinox (Mar 20)7:16 AM90° E7:24 PM271° W50°12h 08m
June solstice (Jun 21)5:43 AM58° ENE8:46 PM302° WNW73°15h 04m
September equinox (Sep 22)7:00 AM89° E7:11 PM271° W50°12h 10m
December solstice (Dec 21)7:32 AM121° ESE4:49 PM239° WSW26°9h 17m

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

Caves are lit artificially — show caves have fixed lighting, so a fast lens and high ISO beat flash, which flattens formations.

Month (15th)Blue hour startsSunriseGolden hour endsGolden hour startsSunsetBlue hour endsDaylight
January7:04 AM7:34 AM8:16 AM4:29 PM5:10 PM5:40 PM9h 37m
February6:39 AM7:06 AM7:44 AM5:10 PM5:48 PM6:16 PM10h 41m
March6:57 AM7:24 AM8:00 AM6:43 PM7:19 PM7:46 PM11h 55m
April6:06 AM6:34 AM7:11 AM7:15 PM7:51 PM8:19 PM13h 17m
May5:26 AM5:57 AM6:36 AM7:43 PM8:22 PM8:53 PM14h 25m
June5:09 AM5:42 AM6:23 AM8:04 PM8:45 PM9:18 PM15h 03m
July5:23 AM5:55 AM6:35 AM8:02 PM8:42 PM9:14 PM14h 47m
August5:55 AM6:24 AM7:01 AM7:34 PM8:11 PM8:40 PM13h 47m
September6:26 AM6:54 AM7:30 AM6:47 PM7:23 PM7:50 PM12h 29m
October6:56 AM7:24 AM8:00 AM5:56 PM6:33 PM7:01 PM11h 10m
November6:30 AM6:59 AM7:39 AM4:16 PM4:56 PM5:25 PM9h 57m
December6:58 AM7:29 AM8:12 AM4:04 PM4:47 PM5:18 PM9h 18m

Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Hall City Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.

MonthCore visible (15th)HoursMax altitudeDirection
JanuaryBelow 10° in darkness—-2°—
February5:29 AM – 5:29 AM0.011°SE → SE
March4:40 AM – 5:50 AM1.217°SE → SSE
April2:39 AM – 4:49 AM2.220°SE → S
May12:34 AM – 3:54 AM3.321°SE → S
June10:50 PM – 3:30 AM4.721°SSE → SSW
July10:41 PM – 2:11 AM3.521°S → SW
August9:54 PM – 12:04 AM2.220°S → SW
September8:55 PM – 10:05 PM1.217°SSW → SW
October8:04 PM – 8:04 PM0.011°SW → SW
NovemberBelow 10° in darkness—-1°—
DecemberBelow 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.83 mag/arcsec².

Weather & best season

Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 17% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.

Average cloud cover (%)

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High °F7172868694104105103105968371
Low °F201924263035434335292218
Precip. (in)7.97.97.43.91.90.70.10.10.73.05.910.8

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 cave

  • Never touch formations — skin oils stop their growth.
  • Follow White-nose Syndrome decontamination rules where posted to protect bats.
  • Many show caves restrict tripods on tours; ask in advance or bring a small beanbag.
  • Use manual focus with focus peaking in low light.
  • Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.

Season: Cave interiors stay at a constant temperature year-round; summer tours fill up, so book ahead.

Suggested gear: Fast lens (f/1.8–f/2.8), High-ISO camera, Small beanbag. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.

Nearby photo spots

Other locations within 25 km of Hall City Cave, closest first.

Natural Arch
Massacre Natural Bridge12 km away · Trinity County

Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)

FAQ

When is the best time to photograph Hall City Cave?
July has the clearest skies on average; june is best for the milky way core. For light, plan around the first and last hour of sun. Cave interiors stay at a constant temperature year-round; summer tours fill up, so book ahead.
What time is golden hour at Hall City Cave?
In October the evening golden hour starts around 5:56 PM and ends after sunset at about 6:33 PM; the morning golden hour lasts until about 8:00 AM. Use the live widget above for exact times on any date.
Where does the sun rise and set at Hall City Cave?
Sunrise azimuth ranges from about 58° in June to 121° in December; sunset ranges from 302° to 239°. See the sun-path diagram for the full arc.
Can you see the Milky Way from Hall City Cave?
Yes — the core is visible from March to September on moonless nights. The estimated sky quality is Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site).
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hall City Cave?
Personal photography from public land rarely needs a permit. Commercial shoots, models, large groups and drones may require permission from the land manager — check before you go.
How far is Hall City Cave from Hayfork?
About 22 km (13 mi) in a straight line; driving distance is usually longer, especially in mountain terrain.

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.