Petty John's Cave — a cave in Walker County, Georgia — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 8.8 km (5.5 mi) WSW of LaFayette.
Pettyjohn Cave (also known as Wilsons Cave, Pettyjohn's Cave, Petty John's Cave, and other similar spellings) is a karst cave located in Walker County, Georgia on the east side of Pigeon Mountain in the Appalachian Plateau of Northwest Georgia. It has a surveyed length of 31,490 ft and reaches a depth of 235 ft. The cave is accessible via a path from a gravel parking area on the side of Rocky Lane. Out of the 242 listed, it is 119th longest cave in the United States as declared by the Georgia Speleological Survey.From the Wikipedia article “Pettyjohn Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Petty John's Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:46 AM | 90° E | 7:53 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:30 AM | 61° ENE | 8:58 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:30 AM | 89° E | 7:40 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:45 AM | 118° ESE | 5:35 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 50m |
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 | 7:21 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:27 AM | 5:16 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 05m |
| February | 7:02 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:50 PM | 6:25 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 7:28 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:26 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:15 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:45 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 6:12 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:06 PM | 13h 58m |
| June | 5:59 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:19 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:26 PM | 14h 28m |
| July | 6:11 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:19 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 16m |
| August | 6:36 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:31 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 7:00 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:58 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:15 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:22 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:22 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 6:49 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 22m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:21 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:01 PM | 9h 51m |
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 Petty John's Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:19 AM – 5:59 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:33 AM – 6:23 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:32 AM – 5:32 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 12:36 AM – 4:56 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:43 PM – 4:33 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:38 PM – 3:08 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:03 PM – 1:13 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 9:15 PM – 11:05 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:32 PM – 9:12 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.15 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 45% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 72 | 77 | 84 | 86 | 94 | 107 | 105 | 105 | 101 | 99 | 87 | 74 |
| Low °F | 5 | 7 | 17 | 23 | 37 | 51 | 55 | 53 | 40 | 28 | 18 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.3 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 5.4 |
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
- 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.
- Many show caves restrict tripods on tours; ask in advance or bring a small beanbag.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Petty John's Cave, closest first.
Cave
Mountain Peak
Scenic ViewpointScenic Viewpoint
WaterfallScenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Petty John's Cave?
What time is golden hour at Petty John's Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Petty John's Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Petty John's Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Petty John's Cave?
How far is Petty John's Cave from LaFayette?
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.