Moaning Cavern is a cave in Calaveras County, California. The nearest town is Angels Camp, about 6.4 km (4.0 mi) away (Moaning Cavern lies E of town).
Moaning Caverns is a solutional cave located in Calaveras County, California, near Vallecito, California in the heart of the state's Gold Country. Moaning Cave is a vertical solution cavity and dome pit which developed along a fracture in metamorphosed limestone. It is part of the Calaveras Complex of the Sierra Nevada foothills. The largest room in the cave is over 37 metres (121 ft) tall. Today the cave serves as a tourist attraction in Northern California. It is open to the public for walking tours and spelunking. Including the off-trail areas, the cave reaches a depth of 410 feet (124 m). The portion of the cave developed for tourists consists of a spacious vertical shaft 165 feet tall, which is descended by a combination of stairs and a unique 100-foot-high (30 m) spiral staircase built in the early 1900s.From the Wikipedia article “Moaning Cavern”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Moaning Cavern the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:06 AM | 90° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:40 AM | 59° ENE | 8:29 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 49m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:50 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 120° ESE | 4:46 PM | 241° WSW | 28° | 9h 31m |
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 starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:49 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 49m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:29 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 6:48 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:49 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:00 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 14m |
| June | 5:08 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 48m |
| July | 5:21 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 33m |
| August | 5:50 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 39m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:25 PM | 6:52 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:19 PM | 10h 07m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 32m |
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 Moaning Cavern, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:00 AM – 5:20 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:07 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:12 AM – 4:52 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:11 AM – 4:01 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:23 PM – 3:43 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:16 PM – 2:16 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:35 PM – 12:15 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 10:11 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:53 PM – 8:13 PM | 0.3 | 13° | 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.03 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 14% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (62%). 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 (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 72 | 70 | 75 | 84 | 97 | 104 | 107 | 103 | 107 | 97 | 83 | 70 |
| Low °F | 17 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 32 | 38 | 46 | 46 | 38 | 32 | 12 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.7 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 6.0 |
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 cave
- 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.
- Never touch formations — skin oils stop their growth.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Moaning Cavern, closest first.
Natural Arch
State Park
Cave
State Park
Cave
Covered Bridge
Ghost TownCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Glory Hole Recreation Area9.4 km (5.9 mi) · reservable
- Tuttletown Recreation Area10.2 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Sand Bar Flat Campground30 km (19 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Moaning Cavern?
What time is golden hour at Moaning Cavern?
Where does the sun rise and set at Moaning Cavern?
Can you see the Milky Way from Moaning Cavern?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Moaning Cavern?
How far is Moaning Cavern from Angels Camp?
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.