Located in Warren County, Tennessee, Cumberland Caverns is a cave. The nearest town is McMinnville, about 8.1 km (5.0 mi) away (Cumberland Caverns lies ESE of town).
Cumberland Caverns is a national natural landmark and show cave located in Warren County, Tennessee, near McMinnville. It is the third longest cave in Tennessee and the 24th longest cave in the United States.From the Wikipedia article “Cumberland Caverns”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cumberland 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 241° (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) | 6:47 AM | 90° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 60° ENE | 8:03 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:31 AM | 89° E | 6:41 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:49 AM | 119° ESE | 4:34 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 44m |
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 | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:21 PM | 10h 00m |
| February | 6:04 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:06 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 6:29 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:42 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 5:10 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:10 PM | 14h 03m |
| June | 4:57 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 34m |
| July | 5:10 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:29 PM | 14h 21m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:37 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:01 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:00 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:17 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:24 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:24 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:34 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 5:52 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:04 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 6:18 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 46m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Cumberland Caverns, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° 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 | 4:31 AM – 5:01 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:36 AM – 5:26 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:36 AM – 4:36 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 11:42 PM – 3:52 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:50 PM – 3:30 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:45 PM – 2:05 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:08 PM – 12:08 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:18 PM – 10:08 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:34 PM – 8:04 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 ≈ 21.13 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 47% 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 | 69 | 73 | 81 | 83 | 92 | 107 | 104 | 104 | 99 | 98 | 84 | 72 |
| Low °F | 2 | -5 | 13 | 22 | 33 | 47 | 53 | 51 | 39 | 26 | 12 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.3 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 5.4 |
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 Cumberland Caverns, closest first.
Cave
Scenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cumberland Caverns?
What time is golden hour at Cumberland Caverns?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cumberland Caverns?
Can you see the Milky Way from Cumberland Caverns?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Cumberland Caverns?
How far is Cumberland Caverns from McMinnville?
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.