Kay Moor is a ghost town in Fayette County, West Virginia. It lies in or next to New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, so park hours, fees and rules apply. It sits roughly 3.5 km (2.2 mi) E of Fayetteville. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Kay Moor, also known as Kaymoor, is the site of an abandoned coal mine, coal-processing plant, and coal town near Fayetteville, West Virginia. The town site is located in the New River Gorge at Kaymoor Bottom (38°03′00″N 81°03′17″W). It is linked to the mine portal 560 feet (170 m) above on Sewell Bench (38°02′52″N 81°03′58″W) in the wall of the Gorge by conveyors. The mine exploited the New River Coalfield's Sewell Seam of "smokeless" low-volatile bituminous coal, while the town site was accessible only by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's mainline in the gorge. The last portion of the Kay Moor complex, Kaymoor Top (38°02′48″N 81°04′09″W) was located at the gorge rim and served as the terminus for the mountain haulage.From the Wikipedia article “Kay Moor, West Virginia”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Kay Moor 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:29 AM | 90° E | 7:36 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:03 AM | 59° ENE | 8:51 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 49m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 120° ESE | 5:09 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 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
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 | 7:40 AM | 8:20 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:57 PM | 9h 49m |
| February | 6:48 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:30 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 7:10 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:11 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:58 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:22 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:45 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 14m |
| June | 5:30 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 48m |
| July | 5:44 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:53 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 33m |
| August | 6:12 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:47 PM | 13h 39m |
| September | 6:40 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:00 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:07 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:09 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:42 PM | 10h 08m |
| December | 7:05 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:15 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 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 Kay Moor, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:21 AM – 5:41 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:29 AM – 5:59 AM | 1.5 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:33 AM – 5:13 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:33 AM – 4:23 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 10:44 PM – 4:04 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:38 PM – 2:38 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:57 PM – 12:37 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 10:33 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:15 PM – 8:35 PM | 0.3 | 13° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 20.93 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 52% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 72 | 74 | 85 | 84 | 98 | 99 | 103 | 100 | 98 | 95 | 80 | 75 |
| Low °F | -3 | -2 | -2 | 21 | 28 | 40 | 51 | 48 | 38 | 26 | 13 | 2 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Kay Moor, closest first.
Waterfall
Ghost Town
Canyon
Ghost Town
Rock Formation
State Park
State Park
WaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Brooklyn Campground7.8 km (4.8 mi)
- Battle Run24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Grandview Shelter 124 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Grandview Shelter 424 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Grandview Shelter 324 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Kay Moor?
What time is golden hour at Kay Moor?
Where does the sun rise and set at Kay Moor?
Can you see the Milky Way from Kay Moor?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Kay Moor?
How far is Kay Moor from Fayetteville?
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.