Kartchner Caverns State Park — a dark sky place in Cochise County, Arizona — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Saint David, about 14.6 km (9.1 mi) away (Kartchner Caverns State Park lies WSW of town). It is certified as an International Dark Sky Park by DarkSky International.
Kartchner Caverns State Park is a state park of Arizona, United States, featuring a show cave with 2.4 miles (3.9 km) of passages. The park is located 9 miles (14 km) south of the town of Benson and west of the north-flowing San Pedro River. Long hidden from view, the caverns were discovered in 1974 by local cavers, assisted by state biologist Erick Campbell who helped in its preservation. The park encompasses most of a down-dropped block of Palaeozoic rocks on the east flank of the Whetstone Mountains. The caverns are carved out of limestone and filled with spectacular speleothems which have been growing for 50,000 years or longer, and are still growing. Careful and technical cave state park development and maintenance, initially established by founder Dr. Bruce Randall "Randy" Tufts, geologist, were designed to protect and preserve the cave system throughout the park's...From the Wikipedia article “Kartchner Caverns State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Kartchner Caverns State Park 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 299° (WNW) in June to 243° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 82° in summer but only 35° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:26 AM | 90° E | 6:33 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:17 AM | 62° ENE | 7:31 PM | 299° WNW | 82° | 14h 14m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:10 AM | 89° E | 6:20 PM | 271° W | 58° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:18 AM | 117° ESE | 5:22 PM | 243° WSW | 35° | 10h 04m |
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
Certified dark sky places offer protected night skies — plan around the new moon and the Milky Way core season.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:56 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 18m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:33 PM | 11h 04m |
| March | 6:08 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:05 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:54 PM | 11h 58m |
| April | 5:28 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:26 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:16 PM | 12h 57m |
| May | 4:58 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:39 PM | 13h 47m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:16 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:57 PM | 14h 13m |
| July | 4:59 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:57 PM | 14h 02m |
| August | 5:21 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:32 PM | 13h 19m |
| September | 5:42 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:38 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:53 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:01 AM | 6:25 AM | 6:58 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:15 PM | 11h 25m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 32m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 05m |
Local time (America/Phoenix), 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 Kartchner Caverns State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 29° 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 | 4:50 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.8 | 18° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:01 AM – 5:01 AM | 2.0 | 26° | SE → SSE |
| April | 12:55 AM – 4:25 AM | 3.5 | 29° | SE → S |
| May | 10:55 PM – 3:45 AM | 4.8 | 29° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:08 PM – 3:28 AM | 6.3 | 29° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:05 PM – 2:05 AM | 5.0 | 29° | SSE → SW |
| August | 8:34 PM – 12:04 AM | 3.5 | 29° | S → SW |
| September | 7:50 PM – 10:00 PM | 2.2 | 26° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:11 PM – 8:01 PM | 0.8 | 18° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.54 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show May as the clearest month (about 20% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (62%). June 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 | 76 | 83 | 86 | 95 | 104 | 109 | 105 | 103 | 100 | 95 | 86 | 78 |
| Low °F | 17 | 11 | 22 | 31 | 36 | 49 | 59 | 59 | 49 | 28 | 20 | 19 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
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 dark sky place
- Set focus on a bright star with live-view magnification, then tape the focus ring.
- Use the NPF rule below to choose the longest exposure before stars trail.
- Many parks host star parties and night programs during summer.
- Use the Milky Way table to find months and hours when the core is above the horizon.
- Use red light only and keep it pointed down to protect others' night vision.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Milky Way core season runs roughly March to October; winter offers long nights and bright winter constellations.
Suggested gear: Fast wide lens (f/1.4–f/2.8), Sturdy tripod, Red headlamp, Intervalometer. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Kartchner Caverns State Park, closest first.
Cave
Scenic Viewpoint
Ghost Town
National Forest
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Kartchner Caverns State Park?
What time is golden hour at Kartchner Caverns State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Kartchner Caverns State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Kartchner Caverns State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Kartchner Caverns State Park?
How far is Kartchner Caverns State Park from Saint David?
Sources
Location data: DarkSky International (via 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.