Airmen's Cave is a cave in Travis County, Texas. It sits roughly 3.9 km (2.4 mi) S of Rollingwood.
Airman's Cave is a cave located adjacent to the portion of Barton Creek located in Travis County in south Austin, Texas. The cave is 3,444 metres (11,299 ft) long, and characterized by long crawls and tight passages. It lies inside the Barton Creek Greenbelt public park and is managed by the City of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department.From the Wikipedia article “Airmen's Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Airmen's Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 62° (ENE) at the June solstice and 117° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 298° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 83° in summer but only 36° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:36 AM | 90° E | 7:43 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:31 AM | 62° ENE | 8:37 PM | 298° WNW | 83° | 14h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:20 AM | 89° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 60° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 117° ESE | 5:36 PM | 243° WSW | 36° | 10h 12m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:04 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 24m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 08m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:14 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:04 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 6:40 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:27 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:23 PM | 12h 54m |
| May | 6:12 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:45 PM | 13h 40m |
| June | 6:02 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:05 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 05m |
| July | 6:13 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:02 PM | 13h 55m |
| August | 6:34 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 15m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:02 PM | 12h 22m |
| October | 7:10 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 28m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:32 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 38m |
| December | 6:55 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:57 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 12m |
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 Airmen's Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 31° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:51 AM – 5:51 AM | 1.0 | 19° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:59 AM – 6:19 AM | 2.3 | 28° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:02 AM – 5:32 AM | 3.5 | 31° | SE → S |
| May | 11:59 PM – 4:59 AM | 5.0 | 31° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:12 PM – 4:52 AM | 6.7 | 31° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:09 PM – 3:19 AM | 5.2 | 31° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:40 PM – 1:20 AM | 3.7 | 31° | S → SW |
| September | 8:59 PM – 11:19 PM | 2.3 | 28° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:21 PM – 9:21 PM | 1.0 | 19° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.75 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 38% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (60%). August 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 | 85 | 90 | 92 | 101 | 105 | 110 | 112 | 112 | 108 | 101 | 89 | 84 |
| Low °F | 17 | 17 | 21 | 34 | 43 | 61 | 65 | 65 | 50 | 33 | 23 | 21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 1.9 |
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
- Many show caves restrict tripods on tours; ask in advance or bring a small beanbag.
- 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.
- 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 Airmen's Cave, closest first.
Botanical Garden
Lake
Lake
Mountain Peak
State Park
Botanical Garden
Lake
WaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Airmen's Cave?
What time is golden hour at Airmen's Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Airmen's Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Airmen's Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Airmen's Cave?
How far is Airmen's Cave from Rollingwood?
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.