Hellhole is a cave in Pendleton County, West Virginia. The nearest town is Petersburg, about 33 km (21 mi) away (Hellhole lies SW of town).
Hellhole is a large and deep pit cave in Germany Valley of eastern West Virginia. It is the seventh longest cave in the United States and is home to almost half of the world's population of Virginia big-eared bats. At 737 feet (225 m), Hellhole is the deepest of several caves in the Valley. Hellhole has had a long and storied association with the National Speleological Society dating back to the creation of that organization in the early 1940s. Many basic caving techniques (e.g., the single rope technique) were developed in Hellhole's 154-foot (47-meter) entrance drop.From the Wikipedia article “Hellhole (cave)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hellhole the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:22 AM | 90° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:54 AM | 59° ENE | 8:47 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:16 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 120° ESE | 5:00 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 27m |
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 | 7:06 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:15 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:14 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:53 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 5:21 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 52m |
| July | 5:34 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:44 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 6:04 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:54 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:07 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:34 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:16 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 28m |
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 Hellhole, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:25 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:54 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:30 AM – 5:00 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:31 AM – 4:11 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:43 PM – 3:53 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:36 PM – 2:26 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:53 PM – 12:23 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 10:18 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:10 PM – 8:30 PM | 0.3 | 12° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.68 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ 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 54% average cloud cover) and December 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 | 67 | 70 | 75 | 82 | 90 | 89 | 95 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 75 | 74 |
| Low °F | -8 | -5 | -8 | 20 | 24 | 35 | 46 | 44 | 35 | 22 | 10 | 3 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
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
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Hellhole, closest first.
Cave
Waterfall
Ghost Town
Canyon
Mountain Peak
Wilderness AreaWaterfall
CaveCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Seneca Shadows5.8 km (3.6 mi) · reservable
- Spruce Knob Lake10.9 km (6.8 mi) · reservable
- Jess Judy18.0 km (11.2 mi) · reservable
- Big Bend (Wv)18.0 km (11.2 mi) · reservable
- Gatewood Group18.8 km (11.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hellhole?
What time is golden hour at Hellhole?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hellhole?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hellhole?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hellhole?
How far is Hellhole from Petersburg?
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.