Warren's Cave — a cave in Alachua County, Florida — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 6.6 km (4.1 mi) SW of Alachua.
Warren's Cave (or Warren Cave) is a dry karst cave in Alachua County, Florida. It is the longest dry cave in Florida, with more than 4 miles (6.4 km) of mapped passages. The cave is located on the margin of the Cody Scarp near the San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park, northwest of the city of Gainesville. The property on which the entrance to Warren's Cave is located, the Warren Cave Nature Preserve, is owned by the National Speleological Society. Warren's cave was probably formed by a high water table when sea levels in the Quaternary Period were elevated close to 100 feet (30 m) above current sea level, corresponding to the Wicomico terrace.From the Wikipedia article “Warren's Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Warren's Cave 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 84° in summer but only 37° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:35 AM | 90° E | 7:42 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:31 AM | 62° ENE | 8:34 PM | 298° WNW | 84° | 14h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:19 AM | 89° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 61° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 117° ESE | 5:36 PM | 243° WSW | 37° | 10h 14m |
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 | 7:27 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 27m |
| February | 6:46 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 09m |
| March | 7:17 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:12 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:03 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:40 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:36 AM | 7:25 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:22 PM | 12h 53m |
| May | 6:12 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 38m |
| June | 6:03 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 03m |
| July | 6:13 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:33 PM | 8:59 PM | 13h 53m |
| August | 6:33 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 14m |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:47 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:01 PM | 12h 21m |
| October | 7:08 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 28m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:30 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 40m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 15m |
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 Warren's Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 31° 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 | — | 2° | — |
| February | 4:50 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:58 AM – 6:18 AM | 2.3 | 28° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:00 AM – 5:30 AM | 3.5 | 31° | SE → S |
| May | 11:57 PM – 5:07 AM | 5.2 | 31° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:09 PM – 4:49 AM | 6.7 | 31° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:06 PM – 3:26 AM | 5.3 | 31° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:38 PM – 1:18 AM | 3.7 | 31° | S → SW |
| September | 8:57 PM – 11:17 PM | 2.3 | 28° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:20 PM – 9:20 PM | 1.0 | 20° | 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 ≈ 20.6 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 41% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (60%). 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 | 83 | 88 | 95 | 97 | 102 | 103 | 100 | 99 | 96 | 94 | 88 | 84 |
| Low °F | 20 | 22 | 29 | 37 | 50 | 64 | 66 | 65 | 55 | 34 | 27 | 23 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 7.8 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.9 |
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.
- 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 Warren's Cave, closest first.
State Park
State Park
State Park
Botanical Garden
Lake
Ghost Town
State Park
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Warren's Cave?
What time is golden hour at Warren's Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Warren's Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Warren's Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Warren's Cave?
How far is Warren's Cave from Alachua?
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.