Located in Deschutes County, Oregon, Skylight Cave is a cave. The nearest town is Sisters, about 14.7 km (9.1 mi) away (Skylight Cave lies WNW of town).
Skylight Cave is a lava tube within Deschutes County, Oregon, in the United States. The cave is within Deschutes National Forest and is located east of Belknap Crater about nine miles northwest of the city of Sisters. Skylight Cave is closed to visitation from September 15 to April 30 because of hibernating Townsend's big-eared bats.From the Wikipedia article “Skylight Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Skylight Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 90° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:23 AM | 55° NE | 8:55 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:41 AM | 123° ESE | 4:31 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 51m |
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 | 7:08 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:58 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:42 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:53 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 5:07 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 4:46 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:30 PM | 15h 31m |
| July | 5:02 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:25 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:48 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:53 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:48 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:25 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:29 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 52m |
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 Skylight Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:00 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:57 AM – 4:27 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:03 AM – 3:33 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:20 PM – 2:50 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:05 PM – 1:35 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:06 PM – 11:36 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 9:28 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.73 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 24% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 65 | 65 | 77 | 84 | 94 | 100 | 103 | 102 | 98 | 88 | 72 | 58 |
| Low °F | -8 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 26 | 33 | 40 | 40 | 30 | 17 | 3 | -6 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Skylight Cave, closest first.
State Park
LakeVolcano
Mountain Peak
VolcanoVolcano
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
Mountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Scout Lake7.4 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
- Cold Springs Campground (Or)8.1 km (5.0 mi) · reservable
- Blue Bay8.1 km (5.0 mi) · reservable
- South Shore8.1 km (5.0 mi) · reservable
- Link Creek8.1 km (5.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Skylight Cave?
What time is golden hour at Skylight Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Skylight Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Skylight Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Skylight Cave?
How far is Skylight Cave from Sisters?
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.