Located in Jackson County, Florida, Florida Caverns State Park is a cave. It sits roughly 4.4 km (2.7 mi) N of Marianna.
Florida Caverns State Park is a 1,449.60-acre (586.63 ha) Florida state park on the Chipola River in Jackson County, Florida, about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Marianna. It is the only state park in Florida that offers guided tours through a dry cave system. During the tour, visitors can see stalactites, stalagmites, columns and flowstone. The park protects more than 30 named caves in the karst landscape of the Marianna Lowlands. The National Park Service designated part of it a National Natural Landmark in 1977, and the Florida Geological Survey named it a State Geological Site in 2000. The caves formed in limestone laid down in a shallow sea during the Late Eocene, about 38 million years ago, but the passages themselves are much younger. They were dissolved as the Chipola cut its valley deeper and the water table fell, and were later decorated with calcite deposited by seeping...From the Wikipedia article “Florida Caverns State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Florida Caverns State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 83° in summer but only 36° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:46 AM | 90° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:39 AM | 62° ENE | 7:48 PM | 298° WNW | 83° | 14h 09m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:30 AM | 89° E | 6:39 PM | 271° W | 59° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:35 AM | 117° ESE | 4:44 PM | 243° WSW | 36° | 10h 09m |
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 | 6:14 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:15 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:28 PM | 10h 22m |
| February | 5:58 AM | 6:23 AM | 6:56 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:54 PM | 11h 07m |
| March | 6:28 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:46 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:34 PM | 12h 55m |
| May | 5:20 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 43m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:14 PM | 14h 08m |
| July | 5:22 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:13 PM | 13h 57m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:50 PM | 13h 17m |
| September | 6:02 AM | 6:26 AM | 6:58 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:12 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 6:20 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:16 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:35 PM | 11h 27m |
| November | 5:43 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:43 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:10 PM | 10h 36m |
| December | 6:05 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:08 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:08 PM | 10h 10m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Florida Caverns State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 30° 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 | 4:00 AM – 5:00 AM | 1.0 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:10 AM – 5:30 AM | 2.3 | 27° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:13 AM – 4:43 AM | 3.5 | 30° | SE → S |
| May | 11:11 PM – 4:11 AM | 5.0 | 30° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:24 PM – 3:54 AM | 6.5 | 30° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:21 PM – 2:31 AM | 5.2 | 30° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:52 PM – 12:32 AM | 3.7 | 30° | S → SW |
| September | 8:09 PM – 10:29 PM | 2.3 | 27° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:31 PM – 8:31 PM | 1.0 | 19° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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 ≈ 20.68 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (55%). 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 | 79 | 80 | 85 | 93 | 100 | 104 | 102 | 102 | 101 | 100 | 88 | 82 |
| Low °F | 18 | 23 | 24 | 37 | 46 | 62 | 63 | 62 | 50 | 34 | 23 | 23 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.6 | 5.5 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 4.9 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 5.1 |
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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Florida Caverns State Park?
What time is golden hour at Florida Caverns State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Florida Caverns State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Florida Caverns State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Florida Caverns State Park?
How far is Florida Caverns State Park from Marianna?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.