Paisley Caves is a cave in Lake County, Oregon. It sits roughly 115 km (72 mi) ENE of Altamont. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Paisley Caves or the Paisley Five Mile Point Caves complex is a system of eight caves in an arid, desolate region of south-central Oregon, United States north of the present-day city of Paisley, Oregon. The caves are located in the Summer Lake basin at 4,520 feet (1,380 m) elevation and face west, carved into a ridge of Miocene and Pliocene era basalts mixed with soft volcanic tuffs and breccias by Pleistocene-era waves from Summer Lake. One of the caves may contain archaeological evidence of the oldest definitively-dated human presence in North America. The site was first studied by Luther Cressman in the 1930s. Scientific excavations and analysis in the Paisley Caves since 2002 have uncovered substantial new discoveries, including subfossil human coprolites with the oldest DNA evidence of human habitation in North America, various artifacts, and animal remains. The DNA was...From the Wikipedia article “Paisley Caves”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Paisley Caves 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) | 7:06 AM | 90° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 56° ENE | 8:45 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:50 AM | 89° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:30 AM | 122° ESE | 4:32 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 | 6:59 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:15 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 6:31 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:37 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 38m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:18 PM | 15h 19m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:20 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:50 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:24 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:37 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:12 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 03m |
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 Paisley Caves, 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 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:43 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:46 AM – 4:36 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:48 AM – 3:38 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:59 PM – 2:59 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:47 PM – 1:37 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 11:44 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:50 PM – 9:40 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 22% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 60 | 60 | 71 | 77 | 88 | 96 | 102 | 97 | 94 | 86 | 70 | 54 |
| Low °F | -14 | -5 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 27 | 37 | 35 | 26 | 16 | -1 | -11 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 2.9 |
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
- 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.
- Never touch formations — skin oils stop their growth.
- 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 Paisley Caves, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Marsters Spring Campground15.9 km (9.9 mi) · reservable
- Bald Butte Lookout (Fremont-Winema National Forest, Or)25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Fremont Point Cabin26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Currier Guard Station30 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Paisley Caves?
What time is golden hour at Paisley Caves?
Where does the sun rise and set at Paisley Caves?
Can you see the Milky Way from Paisley Caves?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Paisley Caves?
How far is Paisley Caves 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.