Located in Rhea County, Tennessee, Gooch Creek Arch is a natural arch. The nearest town is Dayton, about 6.0 km (3.7 mi) away (Gooch Creek Arch lies N of town).
Gooch Creek Arch is a natural sandstone arch in Rhea County, Tennessee. It is 45 feet (14 m) high with a span of 78 feet (24 m), making it one of the largest arches in Tennessee. While the arch was first described by Wilbur Nelson in 1915, it could not be located by Corgan and Parks in 1979. The landform is near the Laurel-Snow State Natural Area and the Cumberland Trail.From the Wikipedia article “Gooch Creek Arch”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Gooch Creek Arch 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) | 7:45 AM | 90° E | 7:52 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:26 AM | 60° ENE | 8:59 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:29 AM | 89° E | 7:39 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:46 AM | 119° ESE | 5:31 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
Arches glow when reflected light bounces off nearby rock — the underside of an arch often turns bright orange just after sunrise or before sunset.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:22 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:28 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:51 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 01m |
| February | 7:02 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:49 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 7:26 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:25 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:42 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 6:08 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 02m |
| June | 5:55 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:03 AM | 8:20 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:28 PM | 14h 33m |
| July | 6:07 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:20 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:26 PM | 14h 20m |
| August | 6:33 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:31 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 31m |
| September | 6:58 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:57 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:14 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:21 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:21 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:49 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:54 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 18m |
| December | 7:15 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:22 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:57 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 Gooch Creek Arch, 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 | 5:28 AM – 5:58 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:33 AM – 6:23 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:33 AM – 5:33 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:38 AM – 4:48 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:46 PM – 4:36 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:41 PM – 3:11 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 1:04 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 9:15 PM – 11:05 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:31 PM – 9:01 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 ≈ 21.06 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 (68%). 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 | 69 | 73 | 81 | 83 | 92 | 107 | 104 | 104 | 99 | 98 | 84 | 72 |
| Low °F | 2 | -5 | 13 | 22 | 33 | 47 | 53 | 51 | 39 | 26 | 12 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.3 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 5.4 |
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 natural arch
- Midday sun creates hard shadows, but can light the underside through reflection in narrow canyons.
- Frame distant features through the opening of the arch for a natural window.
- At night, arches make classic Milky Way foregrounds; low-level lighting or blue hour exposures keep the rock detailed.
- Use a wide lens and get close to emphasize the span against the sky.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring and autumn offer mild temperatures in desert arch country; summer heat is extreme at midday.
Suggested gear: Ultra-wide lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Plenty of water. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Gooch Creek Arch, closest first.
Waterfall
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How far is Gooch Creek Arch from Dayton?
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.