Shawnee Cave — a cave in Lawrence County, Indiana — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 5.1 km (3.2 mi) E of Mitchell.
Shawnee Cave (also called Donaldson Cave or Donaldson-Bronson Cave) is located in Spring Mill State Park in the state of Indiana. Access to the cave is controlled by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Shawnee Cave is the last of three underground passages, totaling just over 8,000 feet, of a stream that originates southeast of the park, and flows through Twin Caves and Bronson Cave, within the park. Shawnee Cave can be entered through the Bronson Cave Entrance and exited via the Donaldson Entrance. The passage connecting Twin Caves to Bronson Cave is extremely dangerous and is off limits. The Indiana DNR has lifted the ban on access to the cave, that was previously imposed to battle White nose syndrome, which is contracted by bats. Access to Shawnee cave is arranged through the Indiana Karst Conservancy via their web page. Under the name of Donaldson Cave System, Shawnee...From the Wikipedia article “Shawnee Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Shawnee Cave 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 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (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) | 7:50 AM | 90° E | 7:58 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:22 AM | 59° ENE | 9:15 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:34 AM | 89° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:01 AM | 120° ESE | 5:28 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 27m |
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 | 7:34 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:43 AM | 5:08 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:17 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 7:11 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 7:31 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:19 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 6:05 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 5:49 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:01 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:45 PM | 14h 52m |
| July | 6:03 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:42 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 6:32 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:10 PM | 13h 41m |
| September | 7:01 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:03 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:22 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:29 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:31 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 7:00 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 7:28 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:39 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 28m |
Local time (America/Indiana/Indianapolis), 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 Shawnee Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | 5:53 AM – 6:03 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 5:02 AM – 6:22 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:58 AM – 5:28 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:59 AM – 4:39 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 11:11 PM – 4:21 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 11:04 PM – 2:54 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:21 PM – 12:51 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 9:26 PM – 10:46 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:37 PM – 8:57 PM | 0.3 | 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: 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 ≈ 21.01 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 46% 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 | 67 | 72 | 80 | 83 | 89 | 107 | 107 | 101 | 101 | 94 | 80 | 71 |
| Low °F | -6 | -8 | -1 | 23 | 32 | 42 | 51 | 51 | 38 | 25 | 12 | -8 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 |
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.
- 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 Shawnee Cave, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Shirley Creek Campground 18.3 km (11.3 mi) · reservable
- Youngs Creek Campground26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Hickory Ridge Campground29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Shawnee Cave?
What time is golden hour at Shawnee Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Shawnee Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Shawnee Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Shawnee Cave?
How far is Shawnee Cave from Mitchell?
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.