Located in Lake County, Oregon, Fort Rock Cave is a cave. It is part of Fort Rock State Natural Area. The nearest town is La Pine, about 46 km (29 mi) away (Fort Rock Cave lies SE of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Fort Rock Cave was the site of the earliest evidence of human habitation in the US state of Oregon before the excavation of the Paisley Caves. Fort Rock Cave featured numerous well-preserved sagebrush sandals, ranging from 9,000 to 13,000 years old. The cave is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Fort Rock near Fort Rock State Natural Area in Lake County. Fort Rock Cave was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The cave was found on Reub Long's ranch. It was formerly known as Menkenmaier Cave and Cow Cave.From the Wikipedia article “Fort Rock Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fort Rock 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) | 7:08 AM | 90° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 56° NE | 8:49 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:52 AM | 89° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:35 AM | 122° ESE | 4:32 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 57m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 20m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:05 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:49 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:39 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:17 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 41m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:08 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:23 PM | 15h 23m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:18 PM | 15h 05m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:22 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:58 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:23 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:28 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:42 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 6:58 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:18 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:03 PM | 8h 59m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Fort Rock Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 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 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:56 AM – 5:36 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:51 AM – 4:31 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:55 AM – 3:35 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:09 PM – 2:59 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:56 PM – 1:36 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:59 PM – 11:39 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 9:34 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.9 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 23% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). July is the warmest month and December 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 | 59 | 61 | 72 | 79 | 89 | 95 | 102 | 97 | 95 | 87 | 71 | 55 |
| Low °F | -16 | -5 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 16 | 0 | -12 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.6 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Fort Rock Cave, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fort Rock Cave?
What time is golden hour at Fort Rock Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fort Rock Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fort Rock Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fort Rock Cave?
How far is Fort Rock Cave from La Pine?
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.