McNeil Falls is a waterfall in Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska. It sits roughly 165 km (103 mi) WSW of Homer.
McNeil Falls is a waterfall on the McNeil River near Katmai National Park, Alaska. The river is famous for its large concentrations of brown bears and salmon. The salmon arrive mostly in July, having spent their lives in Kamishak Bay, and when they ascend the river to spawn it is an attraction to the largest concentration of brown bears anywhere on earth. Up to 144 brown bears have been identified at the river during a single summer with as many as 72 bears congregating in one place at a time. The river's entire 35 mile (55 km) length lies within the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, created in 1967 by the State of Alaska to protect the numerous Alaska brown bears who frequented the area. It also lies entirely within the Kenai Peninsula Borough boundaries. The McNeil River State Game Sanctuary and Refuge is part of a 3.8-million-acre (1,500,000 ha) piece of land that is protected...From the Wikipedia article “McNeil Falls”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At McNeil Falls the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 37° (NE) at the June solstice and 139° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 323° (NW) in June to 222° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 54° in summer but only 7° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:19 AM | 89° E | 8:31 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 12m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:03 AM | 37° NE | 11:36 PM | 323° NW | 54° | 18h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:03 AM | 88° E | 8:19 PM | 272° W | 31° | 12h 16m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:12 AM | 139° SE | 4:20 PM | 222° SW | 7° | 6h 08m |
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 | 9:08 AM | 9:59 AM | 11:26 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:46 PM | 6h 57m |
| February | 8:10 AM | 8:53 AM | 9:54 AM | 5:10 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:54 PM | 9h 19m |
| March | 7:54 AM | 8:34 AM | 9:28 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:20 PM | 9:00 PM | 11h 46m |
| April | 6:18 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:37 PM | 9:32 PM | 10:17 PM | 14h 29m |
| May | 4:46 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:50 AM | 9:38 PM | 10:43 PM | 11:43 PM | 16h 57m |
| June | 3:36 AM | 5:04 AM | 6:19 AM | 10:18 PM | 11:33 PM | 1:00 AM | 18h 30m |
| July | 4:19 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:39 AM | 10:08 PM | 11:18 PM | 12:29 AM | 17h 48m |
| August | 5:48 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:35 AM | 9:10 PM | 10:08 PM | 10:57 PM | 15h 31m |
| September | 7:06 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:40 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:20 PM | 12h 52m |
| October | 8:14 AM | 8:55 AM | 9:53 AM | 6:14 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:53 PM | 10h 16m |
| November | 8:24 AM | 9:11 AM | 10:26 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:42 PM | 7h 43m |
| December | 9:13 AM | 10:07 AM | 11:54 AM | 2:32 PM | 4:19 PM | 5:14 PM | 6h 12m |
Local time (America/Anchorage), 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
The Milky Way's bright core (in Sagittarius) barely clears the southern horizon at this latitude, so focus on winter Milky Way, aurora or star trails instead.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| May | No darkness | — | — | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | No darkness | — | — | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -11° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -21° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.95 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 1.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show March as the clearest month (about 66% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (82%). 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 | 42 | 41 | 44 | 59 | 72 | 78 | 83 | 76 | 66 | 55 | 48 | 43 |
| Low °F | -34 | -29 | -21 | -5 | 17 | 38 | 42 | 38 | 29 | -3 | -26 | -31 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.6 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 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 waterfall
- Bracket shutter speeds: 1/8 s, 1/2 s and 2 s give very different water textures and you can choose later.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 McNeil Falls, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph McNeil Falls?
What time is golden hour at McNeil Falls?
Where does the sun rise and set at McNeil Falls?
Can you see the Milky Way from McNeil Falls?
Do you need a permit to photograph at McNeil Falls?
How far is McNeil Falls from Homer?
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.