Hubbard's Cave — a cave in Warren County, Tennessee — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is McMinnville, about 10.9 km (6.8 mi) away (Hubbard's Cave lies SE of town).
Hubbard's Cave is a cave and 50-acre (0.2 km²) natural area located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of McMinnville in Warren County, Tennessee. It is owned by the Tennessee chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Hubbard's Cave is ecologically significant because it serves as a hibernaculum for two Federally endangered bat species, the gray bat (Myotis grisescens) and the Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). The cave is known to be the largest gray bat hibernaculum in Tennessee with a population of over 500,000 gray bats. Five other bat species also hibernate in the cave. Hibernating bats are extremely sensitive to disturbance during the hibernation period. Since they have stored up just enough energy to survive through the winter, rousing them forces the use of these precious stores. In many instances the bats will be unable to survive the winter. Consequently, the cave entrances have been gated to...From the Wikipedia article “Hubbard's Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hubbard's Cave 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) | 6:47 AM | 90° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 60° ENE | 8:02 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 | 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 | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:15 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:21 PM | 10h 01m |
| February | 6:04 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:06 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 55m |
| 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 02m |
| June | 4:57 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 33m |
| July | 5:10 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:29 PM | 14h 20m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:38 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 | 6:56 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:04 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 6:17 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:32 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 Hubbard's Cave, 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 3 (rural sky), 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 | 11:41 PM – 3:51 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:49 PM – 3:39 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:44 PM – 2:14 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:07 PM – 12:07 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.33 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.
- 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 Hubbard's Cave, closest first.
Cave
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WaterfallScenic ViewpointFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hubbard's Cave?
What time is golden hour at Hubbard's Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hubbard's Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hubbard's Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hubbard's Cave?
How far is Hubbard's Cave 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.