Meramec State Park — a cave in Franklin County, Missouri — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 5.1 km (3.2 mi) E of Sullivan.
Meramec State Park is a public recreation area located near Sullivan, Missouri, about 60 miles from St. Louis, along the Meramec River. The park has diverse ecosystems such as hardwood forests and glades. There are over 40 caves located throughout the park, the bedrock is dolomite. The most famous is Fisher Cave, located near the campgrounds. The park borders the Meramec Conservation Area.From the Wikipedia article “Meramec State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Meramec State Park 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 301° (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) | 7:09 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:42 AM | 59° ENE | 8:32 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 50m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:18 AM | 120° ESE | 4:48 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 30m |
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 | 6:52 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:37 PM | 9h 48m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:32 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 47m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:38 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 14m |
| June | 5:10 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 48m |
| July | 5:23 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 34m |
| August | 5:52 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 40m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 6:47 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 07m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 31m |
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 Meramec State Park, 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 23° 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 | 5:01 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:09 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:14 AM – 4:44 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:14 AM – 4:04 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:26 PM – 3:36 AM | 5.2 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:19 PM – 2:19 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:38 PM – 12:18 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 10:13 PM | 1.5 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:55 PM – 8:15 PM | 0.3 | 13° | 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 ≈ 20.9 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ 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 44% 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 | 71 | 77 | 82 | 88 | 96 | 108 | 109 | 107 | 102 | 94 | 80 | 72 |
| Low °F | -9 | -14 | 2 | 20 | 30 | 48 | 52 | 48 | 37 | 22 | 9 | -11 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.5 |
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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Meramec State Park, closest first.
Cave
Ghost Town
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How far is Meramec State Park from Sullivan?
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.