Located in Taliaferro County, Georgia, A. H. Stephens State Park is a state park. The nearest town is Union Point, about 17.4 km (10.8 mi) away (A. H. Stephens State Park lies ESE of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A. H. Stephens State Park is a 1,177 acres (476 ha) Georgia state park located in Crawfordville. The park is named for Alexander H. Stephens, the Vice President of the Confederate States of America, and a former Georgia governor. The park contains Stephens' home, Liberty Hall, which has been fully restored to its original 1875 style. The park's museum houses one of Georgia's largest collections of American Civil War artifacts. The park also offers several mill ponds for fishing and nature trails. The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as A. H. Stephens State Park. It includes four contributing sites, twelve contributing structures, and one other contributing object. It includes Colonial Revival and Rustic Style architecture.From the Wikipedia article “A. H. Stephens State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At A. H. Stephens State Park 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) | 7:36 AM | 90° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:23 AM | 61° ENE | 8:46 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:20 AM | 89° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 118° ESE | 5:28 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 55m |
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
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:10 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:14 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:14 PM | 10h 10m |
| February | 6:51 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:42 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 00m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:16 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:05 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:36 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 6:05 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 5:53 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 22m |
| July | 6:05 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 10m |
| August | 6:28 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:05 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:26 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:57 PM | 10h 26m |
| December | 7:02 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:53 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 A. H. Stephens State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° 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 | — | 1° | — |
| February | 5:11 AM – 5:51 AM | 0.7 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:13 AM – 6:13 AM | 2.0 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:20 AM – 5:30 AM | 3.2 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 12:22 AM – 4:52 AM | 4.5 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:27 PM – 4:37 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:24 PM – 3:14 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 1:10 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 9:04 PM – 11:04 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:22 PM – 9:12 PM | 0.8 | 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 ≈ 21.64 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 (56%). 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 | 78 | 79 | 83 | 94 | 101 | 110 | 109 | 108 | 101 | 102 | 85 | 80 |
| Low °F | 14 | 19 | 21 | 28 | 43 | 56 | 62 | 59 | 47 | 32 | 20 | 19 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 4.5 |
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 state park
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Trail maps often mark overlooks — combine them with the sun azimuth to plan.
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.
Suggested gear: Versatile zoom lens, Tripod, Park pass. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph A. H. Stephens State Park?
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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.