Tory cave is a cave in Albany County, New York. The nearest town is Altamont, about 5.2 km (3.2 mi) away (Tory cave lies SSE of town).
The Tory Cave is a limestone cave in the Helderberg Escarpment geologic formation. Its name is based on a story from the American Revolution, where a Tory — a loyalist to the English monarchy — hid in the cave. According to some accounts Jacob Salsbury was a loyalist who reported to the British on rebel troop movements. The cave is near the top of the escarpment. Visually interesting ice stalagmites can be found in the cave, in springtime. There are other caves in the region that do not develop stalagmites. According to Jim Gould, the author of Rooted in Rock, a partial rock fall blocks drafts that would have prevented the growth of large stalagmites.From the Wikipedia article “Tory Cave (Albany, New York)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Tory cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (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) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 57° ENE | 8:38 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 122° ESE | 4:26 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 | 6:53 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 5:02 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 4:43 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 4:58 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:08 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:36 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:37 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:31 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:56 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 Tory 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 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:37 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:40 AM – 4:30 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:41 AM – 3:31 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:53 PM – 2:53 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:42 PM – 1:32 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:48 PM – 11:38 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:34 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.31 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
- 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.
- Use manual focus with focus peaking in low light.
- 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 Tory cave, closest first.
State Park
WaterfallWaterfall
CaveWaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Waterfall
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Tory cave?
What time is golden hour at Tory cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Tory cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Tory cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Tory cave?
How far is Tory cave from Altamont?
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.