Gardner Cave is a cave in Pend Oreille County, Washington. The nearest town is Sandpoint, about 100 km (62 mi) away (Gardner Cave lies NW of town).
Gardner Cave is located in extreme northeastern Washington state inside Crawford State Park. Gardner Cave is the longest limestone cave in Washington state with a length of 1,055 feet (322 m). Only the first 494 feet (151 m) are open to public access. The cave is adorned with stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, pools, and a column 2 feet in diameter.From the Wikipedia article “Gardner Cave”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Gardner Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 309° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 64° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:53 AM | 89° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:46 AM | 52° NE | 8:58 PM | 309° NW | 64° | 16h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:37 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:42 AM | 126° SE | 3:55 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 13m |
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 | 7:39 AM | 8:31 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:56 PM | 8h 41m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 11m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:46 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:25 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 43m |
| May | 4:30 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 17m |
| June | 4:03 AM | 4:46 AM | 5:36 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:39 PM | 16h 11m |
| July | 4:22 AM | 5:02 AM | 5:51 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:31 PM | 15h 48m |
| August | 5:08 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 24m |
| September | 5:55 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:09 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:36 PM | 12h 38m |
| October | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:18 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:33 PM | 10h 50m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:49 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:45 PM | 9h 10m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:33 AM | 2:58 PM | 3:53 PM | 4:31 PM | 8h 15m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Gardner Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 12° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| April | 3:40 AM – 3:50 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:49 AM – 2:29 AM | 0.7 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:39 PM – 2:09 AM | 2.5 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:50 PM – 12:20 AM | 0.5 | 11° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:17 PM – 10:17 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 34% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). July is the warmest month and December 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 | 37 | 49 | 63 | 75 | 87 | 98 | 101 | 103 | 94 | 82 | 57 | 41 |
| Low °F | -30 | -23 | -15 | 15 | 25 | 31 | 39 | 39 | 26 | 9 | -23 | -19 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Gardner Cave, closest first.
State Park
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Wilderness Area
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- West Sullivan16.1 km (10.0 mi) · reservable
- East Sullivan16.2 km (10.1 mi) · reservable
- Noisy Creek24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Edgewater Campground27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Gardner Cave?
What time is golden hour at Gardner Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Gardner Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Gardner Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Gardner Cave?
How far is Gardner Cave from Sandpoint?
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.