Swannanoa Gap is a mountain pass in Buncombe County, North Carolina. The nearest town is Black Mountain, about 4.6 km (2.9 mi) away (Swannanoa Gap lies E of town).
The Swannanoa Gap is a pass in the eastern United States through the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Asheville plateau. The pass sits on the Buncombe-McDowell County line in North Carolina near the head of the Catawba River. Long traversed by Native Americans, its trail was the first road into Buncombe County from the east. According to James Mooney, a prominent ethnographer of the Bureau of American Ethnology, the pass was used by the Cherokee to reach Cheraw country. The Cherokee name for the pass is Suwali Nûⁿnâhi. Mooney wrote it was "the pass through which ran the trail from the Cherokee to the Suwali or Ani-Suwali, living east of the mountains." The names of the census-designated place of Swannanoa, North Carolina, the Swannanoa River, Lake Swannanoa, New Jersey, and Swannanoa, New Zealand are derived from its name. Its name in modern Cherokee syllabary by the neographer Sequoyah...From the Wikipedia article “Swannanoa Gap”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Swannanoa Gap the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:34 AM | 90° E | 7:41 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:15 AM | 60° ENE | 8:49 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:18 AM | 89° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:36 AM | 119° ESE | 5:20 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 45m |
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
Mountain passes sit above valleys, so they reward sunrise and sunset with layered ridges, valley fog and long shadows.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:11 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 01m |
| February | 6:51 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:38 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 7:15 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:15 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:02 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:31 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 5:57 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 02m |
| June | 5:44 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:52 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 33m |
| July | 5:56 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:02 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 20m |
| August | 6:22 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:47 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:04 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:10 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 46m |
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 Swannanoa Gap, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° 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 | 5:17 AM – 5:47 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:22 AM – 6:12 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 5:22 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:27 AM – 4:37 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:35 PM – 4:25 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:30 PM – 3:00 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:53 PM – 12:53 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 9:04 PM – 10:54 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:20 PM – 8:50 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.6 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (60%). 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 | 70 | 72 | 79 | 81 | 88 | 101 | 100 | 98 | 94 | 92 | 80 | 72 |
| Low °F | -2 | -3 | 5 | 21 | 32 | 42 | 49 | 47 | 35 | 24 | 9 | 5 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
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 mountain pass
- Weather changes fast at elevation; carry layers even in summer.
- Summit pull-outs often face one direction; use the sun azimuth table to see whether sunrise or sunset suits the view.
- Wildflowers bloom late at pass elevations — often July to early August in the Rockies and Sierra.
- Check road status before driving: many high passes close seasonally or after storms.
- Look for the road itself as a leading line — switchbacks from above make strong compositions.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Summer and early autumn are the main season; winter visits depend on plowing and avalanche conditions.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Tripod, Warm layers, Road-condition app. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Swannanoa Gap, closest first.
Waterfall
Waterfall
Mountain PassMountain Pass
WaterfallMountain Pass
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Curtis Creek Campground (Nc)8.8 km (5.5 mi) · reservable
- Curtis Creek Campground10.1 km (6.3 mi)
- Briar Bottom Group Campground15.3 km (9.5 mi) · reservable
- Black Mountain Campground15.3 km (9.5 mi) · reservable
- Carolina Hemlocks Rec Area21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Swannanoa Gap?
What time is golden hour at Swannanoa Gap?
Where does the sun rise and set at Swannanoa Gap?
Can you see the Milky Way from Swannanoa Gap?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Swannanoa Gap?
How far is Swannanoa Gap from Black Mountain?
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.