Located in Sevier County, Tennessee, Forbidden Caverns is a cave. The nearest town is Dandridge, about 13.9 km (8.6 mi) away (Forbidden Caverns lies SSE of town).
Forbidden Caverns is a set of caverns and tourist attraction in Sevierville, Tennessee, near the Smoky Mountains. Flint from these caverns was used by the Eastern Woodland Indians to create arrowheads, knives, and scrapers. The cave also contains a large wall of rare cave onyx. In the early twentieth century, these caverns were used to make moonshine. In the 1960s, plans began to excavate the cave as a natural attraction for the public. After 3 years of planning and development, Forbidden Caverns was opened in 1967. The cave descends several hundred feet below the surface, where an underground river, grottos, and chimneys can be found. The underground stream is supplied by a large underground lake located beneath English Mountain. The temperature inside the caverns remains at a near-constant 58 degrees and tends to stay the same year-round.From the Wikipedia article “Forbidden Caverns”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Forbidden 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) | 7:38 AM | 90° E | 7:45 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:18 AM | 60° ENE | 8:54 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:32 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:41 AM | 119° ESE | 5:24 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 43m |
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 | 7:16 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:22 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:11 PM | 9h 59m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:42 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 7:20 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:19 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:07 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:35 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 04m |
| June | 5:47 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 35m |
| July | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 22m |
| August | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:51 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:08 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:15 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:24 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 17m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 44m |
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 Forbidden 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:21 AM – 5:51 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:26 AM – 6:16 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 5:27 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:33 AM – 4:43 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:42 PM – 4:22 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:36 PM – 2:56 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:59 PM – 12:59 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 9:09 PM – 10:59 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:24 PM – 8:54 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.44 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 (65%). 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 | 68 | 71 | 81 | 80 | 87 | 101 | 99 | 97 | 95 | 92 | 81 | 72 |
| Low °F | -3 | -1 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 42 | 48 | 47 | 36 | 23 | 12 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.4 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Forbidden Caverns, closest first.
Fire Lookout
Covered Bridge
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Cosby Picnic Pavilion19.3 km (12.0 mi) · reservable
- Cosby Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Cosby Group Camp21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Greenbrier Picnic Pavilion22 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Big Creek Campground (Great Smoky Mountains National Park)27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Forbidden Caverns?
What time is golden hour at Forbidden Caverns?
Where does the sun rise and set at Forbidden Caverns?
Can you see the Milky Way from Forbidden Caverns?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Forbidden Caverns?
How far is Forbidden Caverns from Dandridge?
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.