Spring Cave is a cave in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The nearest town is New Castle, about 32 km (20 mi) away (Spring Cave lies N of town).
Spring Cave is a large, not completely explored cave in Colorado in the White River National Forest, in the South Fork Valley of the White River, that has been largely cut out by an underground river running through it. It contains a lake several hundred meters inside as well as several caverns only accessible through underwater diving. The cave is free to explore.From the Wikipedia article “Spring Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Spring 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 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:43 AM | 58° ENE | 8:43 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 15h 00m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:29 AM | 121° ESE | 4:49 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 20m |
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 | 7:01 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 39m |
| February | 6:36 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:09 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:05 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:26 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 22m |
| June | 5:09 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 59m |
| July | 5:23 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 44m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 45m |
| September | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:59 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:24 PM | 10h 00m |
| December | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 22m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Spring Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 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.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:17 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:27 AM – 5:47 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:25 AM – 4:55 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:28 AM – 3:58 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:42 PM – 3:32 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:34 PM – 2:14 AM | 3.7 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:49 PM – 12:09 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:52 PM – 10:12 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:02 PM – 8:12 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.84 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ 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 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 48 | 52 | 65 | 73 | 87 | 91 | 93 | 90 | 89 | 76 | 64 | 48 |
| Low °F | -25 | -22 | -8 | 7 | 18 | 27 | 37 | 34 | 23 | 5 | -15 | -18 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
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
- 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.
- Follow White-nose Syndrome decontamination rules where posted to protect bats.
- 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 Spring Cave, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Meadow Lake Campground4.8 km (3.0 mi)
- Meadow Ridge Campground5.4 km (3.3 mi)
- Marvine Campground18.9 km (11.8 mi) · reservable
- North Fork Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Shepherds Rim Campground29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Spring Cave?
What time is golden hour at Spring Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Spring Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Spring Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Spring Cave?
How far is Spring Cave from New Castle?
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.