Located in Monroe County, Tennessee, Craighead Caverns is a cave. The nearest town is Madisonville, about 6.4 km (4.0 mi) away (Craighead Caverns lies WNW of town).
Craighead Caverns is an extensive cave system located in between Sweetwater and Madisonville, Tennessee. It is best known for containing the United States' largest and the world's second largest non-subglacial underground lake, The Lost Sea. In addition to the lake, the caverns contain an abundance of crystal clusters called anthodites, stalactites, stalagmites, and a waterfall.From the Wikipedia article “Craighead Caverns”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Craighead Caverns the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:42 AM | 90° E | 7:50 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:23 AM | 60° ENE | 8:57 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:36 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 119° ESE | 5:29 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 45m |
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 | 7:19 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:25 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 01m |
| February | 6:59 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:46 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 7:24 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:23 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:11 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:40 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:40 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 02m |
| June | 5:53 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:18 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 33m |
| July | 6:05 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:17 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 20m |
| August | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:29 PM | 8:56 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:56 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:55 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:12 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:19 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:19 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:47 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:32 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:20 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:55 PM | 9h 46m |
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 Craighead Caverns, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:26 AM – 5:56 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:31 AM – 6:21 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:31 AM – 5:31 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:36 AM – 4:46 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:44 PM – 4:34 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 3:09 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:02 PM – 1:02 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 9:13 PM – 11:03 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:29 PM – 8:59 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| 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 ≈ 21.05 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 48% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 72 | 76 | 87 | 85 | 94 | 107 | 107 | 104 | 101 | 98 | 86 | 74 |
| Low °F | 3 | 0 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 47 | 53 | 52 | 39 | 26 | 18 | 12 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.4 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 5.3 |
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.
- 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.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Craighead Caverns?
What time is golden hour at Craighead Caverns?
Where does the sun rise and set at Craighead Caverns?
Can you see the Milky Way from Craighead Caverns?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Craighead Caverns?
How far is Craighead Caverns from Madisonville?
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.