Scull Shoals — a ghost town in Greene County, Georgia at about 137 m (449 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Watkinsville, about 18.4 km (11.4 mi) away (Scull Shoals lies SE of town).
Scull Shoals is a former rapids and community on the Oconee River in Greene County, Georgia. It is an example of sedimentation due to unsustainable agricultural practices. Although the rapids and community are buried in silt, some remains of buildings are still visible. A nearby prehistoric earthworks and an area used for forestry research also bear the name "Scull Shoals". All of these features are in Oconee National Forest.From the Wikipedia article “Scull Shoals, Georgia”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Scull Shoals the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:38 AM | 90° E | 7:45 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:24 AM | 61° ENE | 8:48 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 24m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:32 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:35 AM | 118° ESE | 5:29 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 54m |
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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:11 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 09m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:43 PM | 10h 59m |
| March | 7:20 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:18 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:06 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:38 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:37 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 6:06 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:55 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 5:54 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 23m |
| July | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 11m |
| August | 6:30 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 6:52 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:50 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:13 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 25m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:55 PM | 9h 56m |
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 Scull Shoals, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:11 AM – 5:51 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:24 AM – 6:14 AM | 1.8 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 5:32 AM | 3.2 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 12:24 AM – 4:54 AM | 4.5 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:30 PM – 4:30 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:26 PM – 3:06 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:52 PM – 1:12 AM | 3.3 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 11:05 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:23 PM – 9:03 PM | 0.7 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.3 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (57%). 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 | 76 | 79 | 84 | 93 | 98 | 111 | 109 | 107 | 103 | 102 | 85 | 79 |
| Low °F | 8 | 16 | 18 | 26 | 40 | 54 | 60 | 57 | 44 | 30 | 20 | 18 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.9 |
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 ghost town
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Scull Shoals, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Scull Shoals?
What time is golden hour at Scull Shoals?
Where does the sun rise and set at Scull Shoals?
Can you see the Milky Way from Scull Shoals?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Scull Shoals?
How far is Scull Shoals from Watkinsville?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.