Nutty Putty Cave — a cave in Utah County, Utah — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 20 km (12 mi) NW of Genola.
Nutty Putty Cave is a hydrothermal cave located west of Utah Lake in Utah County, Utah, United States. The cave attracted amateur and professional cavers alike despite its narrow passageways, but access to the cave was closed in 2009, after an accident that resulted in the death of 26-year-old John Edward Jones. Before that, it was popular among Boy Scout troops and college students.From the Wikipedia article “Nutty Putty Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Nutty Putty Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:32 AM | 90° E | 7:40 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:00 AM | 58° ENE | 9:01 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:16 AM | 89° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 121° ESE | 5:06 PM | 240° WSW | 26° | 9h 19m |
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 | 7:49 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:57 PM | 9h 38m |
| February | 6:54 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:32 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 7:14 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:02 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:43 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 24m |
| June | 5:26 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 00m |
| July | 5:40 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:17 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:29 PM | 14h 45m |
| August | 6:11 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:56 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:17 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:45 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 58m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:27 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 20m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Nutty Putty Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:35 AM – 5:45 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:45 AM – 6:05 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:43 AM – 5:03 AM | 2.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:47 AM – 4:17 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 11:02 PM – 3:52 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:54 PM – 2:24 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 10:08 PM – 12:28 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 9:10 PM – 10:20 PM | 1.2 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:20 PM – 8:30 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.03 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 33% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 60 | 61 | 74 | 84 | 95 | 99 | 104 | 101 | 97 | 87 | 71 | 56 |
| Low °F | -12 | 2 | 14 | 22 | 25 | 36 | 49 | 47 | 31 | 16 | 4 | -10 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 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
- 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 Nutty Putty Cave, closest first.
Cave
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Mountain Peak
State Park
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
CanyonFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Nutty Putty Cave?
What time is golden hour at Nutty Putty Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Nutty Putty Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Nutty Putty Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Nutty Putty Cave?
How far is Nutty Putty Cave from Genola?
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.