Big Cypress National Preserve is a dark sky place in Collier County, Florida. The nearest town is Kendall West, about 62 km (38 mi) away (Big Cypress National Preserve lies WNW of town). It is certified as an International Dark Sky Park by DarkSky International.
Big Cypress National Preserve is a United States national preserve located in South Florida, about 45 miles (72 km) west of Miami on the Atlantic coastal plain. The 720,000-acre (2,900 km2) Big Cypress, along with Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas, became the first national preserves in the United States National Park System when they were established on October 11, 1974. Florida film producer Elam Stoltzfus has featured the preserve and its photographers Niki and Clyde Butcher in several PBS and other documentaries, beginning with the half-hour "Visions of Florida: the Photographic Art of Clyde Butcher" produced in 1990. Big Cypress borders the wet freshwater marl prairies of Everglades National Park to the south, and other state and federally protected cypress country in the west, with water from the Big Cypress flowing south and west into the coastal Ten Thousand Islands...From the Wikipedia article “Big Cypress National Preserve”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Big Cypress National Preserve the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 63° (ENE) at the June solstice and 116° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 297° (WNW) in June to 244° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 88° in summer but only 41° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:29 AM | 90° E | 7:36 PM | 270° W | 64° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:34 AM | 63° ENE | 8:19 PM | 297° WNW | 88° | 13h 45m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 64° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:07 AM | 116° ESE | 5:39 PM | 244° WSW | 41° | 10h 31m |
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 | 6:48 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:21 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 42m |
| February | 6:37 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 18m |
| March | 7:11 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:05 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:34 PM | 7:57 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 6:38 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:11 PM | 12h 46m |
| May | 6:14 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 24m |
| June | 6:07 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 45m |
| July | 6:17 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 36m |
| August | 6:34 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 03m |
| September | 6:48 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 19m |
| October | 7:00 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:27 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 34m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 53m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 32m |
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 Big Cypress National Preserve, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 35° 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 | 4:25 AM – 5:35 AM | 1.2 | 22° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:40 AM – 6:10 AM | 2.5 | 32° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:37 AM – 5:37 AM | 4.0 | 35° | SE → S |
| May | 11:39 PM – 5:09 AM | 5.5 | 35° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:48 PM – 4:58 AM | 7.2 | 35° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:46 PM – 3:36 AM | 5.8 | 35° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:23 PM – 1:33 AM | 4.2 | 35° | S → SW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 11:27 PM | 2.7 | 32° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:14 PM – 9:34 PM | 1.3 | 23° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -17° | — |
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 ≈ 21.21 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show April as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (66%). 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 | 81 | 83 | 86 | 90 | 92 | 94 | 92 | 92 | 91 | 90 | 88 | 82 |
| Low °F | 39 | 41 | 48 | 55 | 65 | 75 | 77 | 77 | 71 | 54 | 51 | 42 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 4.5 | 8.4 | 7.1 | 7.7 | 8.5 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 1.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Big Cypress National Preserve, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Midway Campground (Fl)4.7 km (2.9 mi) · reservable
- Monument Lake Campground8.0 km (5.0 mi) · reservable
- Pink Jeep Campground 13.3 km (8.3 mi) · reservable
- Mitchell Landing Campground 15.6 km (9.7 mi) · reservable
- Pinecrest Group Campground15.8 km (9.8 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Big Cypress National Preserve?
What time is golden hour at Big Cypress National Preserve?
Where does the sun rise and set at Big Cypress National Preserve?
Can you see the Milky Way from Big Cypress National Preserve?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Big Cypress National Preserve?
How far is Big Cypress National Preserve from Kendall West?
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.