Schroeder's Pants Cave — a cave in Herkimer County, New York — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Dolgeville, about 4.6 km (2.9 mi) away (Schroeder's Pants Cave lies W of town).
Schroeder's Pants Cave is a cave located by Goodell Corners in Herkimer County, New York. It was initially explored in the 1950s by Herbert W. Schroeder and George A. Buck, teachers at the high school in Dolgeville, New York, and named for Mr. Schroeder after he tore out the seat of his pants during an early exploratory venture. In 1965, James G. Mitchell from Manheim, New York died of hypothermia after becoming stranded on a rope in a 75-foot (23 m) pit in the cave with a frigid waterfall. Initial efforts to recover Mitchell's body failed. A rescue team was flown from Washington, D.C., on Air Force Two. A three-day effort to retrieve Mitchell was aborted after repeated failures and a partial collapse. The cave was abandoned and blasted shut, essentially making the cave a tomb. Over 5000 dollars were spent on him to retrieve the body; Mitchell's death made headlines again forty-one...From the Wikipedia article “Schroeder's Pants Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Schroeder's Pants Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:04 AM | 90° E | 7:12 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:21 AM | 56° NE | 8:43 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 22m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 122° ESE | 4:28 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 59m |
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 | 6:57 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 5:04 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 4:45 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:17 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:17 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:22 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:35 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 01m |
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 Schroeder's Pants Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:40 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:44 AM – 4:24 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:46 AM – 3:26 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:58 PM – 2:58 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:47 PM – 1:37 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:52 PM – 11:32 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:48 PM – 9:38 PM | 0.8 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.24 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 53% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 55 | 64 | 70 | 78 | 87 | 95 | 86 | 92 | 82 | 75 | 66 | 61 |
| Low °F | -28 | -23 | -23 | 2 | 24 | 31 | 40 | 41 | 28 | 18 | -10 | -22 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
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 Schroeder's Pants Cave, closest first.
Covered Bridge
Lake
WaterfallWaterfallFAQ
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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.