Noccalula Falls Park — a waterfall in Etowah County, Alabama at about 182 m (597 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Gadsden, about 3.3 km (2.1 mi) away (Noccalula Falls Park lies NNW of town).
Noccalula Falls Park is a 250-acre (101-ha) public park located in Gadsden, Alabama, United States. The main feature of the park is a 90-foot (27-m) waterfall. Trails wind through Black Creek Gorge past caves, an aboriginal fort, an abandoned dam, pioneer homestead, and Civil War carvings. The park also features a petting zoo, mini-golf course, the Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge (built 1899) and a replica 1863 C. P. Huntington train ride. Noccalula Falls Park was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on May 12, 1976. It was rated in 2017 as the best campsite in Alabama in a 50-state survey conducted by MSN.com. The falls drop itself has been run successfully in whitewater kayaks on multiple occasions, beginning in late November 2011 when three expert kayakers ran the drop. The water level was unusually high, permitting a deep enough pool to form at the base of the...From the Wikipedia article “Noccalula Falls Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Noccalula Falls 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 79° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:49 AM | 90° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 61° ENE | 7:59 PM | 299° WNW | 79° | 14h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:33 AM | 89° E | 6:42 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:46 AM | 118° ESE | 4:39 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 53m |
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
Waterfalls photograph best in soft, even light: overcast days, deep shade, or the hour after sunrise before direct sun hits the water. Bright sun on white water blows highlights and adds harsh contrast.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:23 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:21 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:25 PM | 10h 08m |
| February | 6:04 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:04 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:28 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 59m |
| March | 6:31 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:17 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:41 PM | 13h 02m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 56m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:27 PM | 14h 25m |
| July | 5:16 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 13m |
| August | 5:40 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:33 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 26m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:01 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:17 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:25 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 5:51 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:54 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:08 PM | 10h 24m |
| December | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 54m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Noccalula Falls Park, 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 6 (bright suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:22 AM – 5:02 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:35 AM – 5:25 AM | 1.8 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:33 AM – 4:43 AM | 3.2 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 11:36 PM – 3:56 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:42 PM – 3:42 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:38 PM – 2:18 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:04 PM – 12:14 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:17 PM – 10:17 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:34 PM – 8:14 PM | 0.7 | 16° | 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.06 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 45% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (65%). 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 | 76 | 82 | 85 | 93 | 105 | 104 | 106 | 101 | 99 | 87 | 74 |
| Low °F | 4 | 6 | 14 | 24 | 38 | 52 | 56 | 53 | 40 | 29 | 17 | 9 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.4 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 5.6 |
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 waterfall
- A 3-stop ND filter lets you use slow shutter speeds even when the light is bright.
- Shoot a vertical and a horizontal frame; tall falls often work better in portrait orientation.
- Use 1/4 to 1 second for a silky look; 1/500 s or faster freezes individual drops.
- A circular polarizer cuts glare on wet rocks and leaves and deepens greens — rotate it while watching the rocks, not the sky.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Peak flow is usually in late spring; autumn adds color around the falls, and winter can bring ice formations at colder locations.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, 3–6 stop ND filter, Lens cloth, Waterproof footwear. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Noccalula Falls Park, closest first.
Scenic Viewpoint
Covered Bridge
Natural ArchFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Noccalula Falls Park?
What time is golden hour at Noccalula Falls Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Noccalula Falls Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Noccalula Falls Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Noccalula Falls Park?
How far is Noccalula Falls Park from Gadsden?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, OpenStreetMap contributors, 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.