Secret Caverns — a cave in Schoharie County, New York — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 8.4 km (5.2 mi) ENE of Cobleskill.
Secret Caverns is a limestone solutional cave, located in Howes Cave, New York. As a show cave, Secret Caverns is open to the public as a tourist attraction, with guides taking visitors through the cave, which features karst and glacial geological features, culminating in a 100 ft (30 m) waterfall. The cave is also known for its eclectic folk art both on the cave property and around Schoharie County, New York, advertising the cave and differentiating itself from Howe Caverns, a larger show cave just 1.4 miles (2.3 km) away.From the Wikipedia article “Secret Caverns”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Secret Caverns the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) 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 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:02 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:20 AM | 56° ENE | 8:40 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 122° ESE | 4:27 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 02m |
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 | 6:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:04 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 4:45 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:34 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:50 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:32 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:08 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 04m |
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 Secret Caverns, 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 | 4:39 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:42 AM – 4:32 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:43 AM – 3:33 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:55 PM – 2:55 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:44 PM – 1:34 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 11:40 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 9:36 PM | 0.8 | 15° | 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 ≈ 21.03 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 53% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 61 | 70 | 72 | 83 | 86 | 88 | 92 | 95 | 91 | 83 | 71 | 66 |
| Low °F | -21 | -17 | -16 | 9 | 26 | 34 | 44 | 44 | 32 | 17 | -3 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.8 |
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 Secret Caverns, closest first.
Cave
Covered Bridge
State Park
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
WaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Secret Caverns?
What time is golden hour at Secret Caverns?
Where does the sun rise and set at Secret Caverns?
Can you see the Milky Way from Secret Caverns?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Secret Caverns?
How far is Secret Caverns from Cobleskill?
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.