Grand Falls — a waterfall in Coconino County, Arizona at about 1,371 m (4,498 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 48 km (30 mi) ENE of Flagstaff.
Grand Falls is a natural waterfall system located 30 miles (48.3 kilometers) northeast of Flagstaff, Arizona in the Painted Desert on the Navajo Nation. It is also called Chocolate Falls because of the color. It dumps snow melt or seasonal rain into the gorge of the Little Colorado River below. It is known for its extremely muddy flow, which is a major contributor of Little Colorado River opacity. Heavy rains or snow melt will produce spectacular viewing, photography, and sound, whereas a scarcity of water will produce only trickles or no flow at all. Grand Falls was formed when lava from nearby Merriam Crater in the San Francisco volcanic field flowed into the Little Colorado River, creating a lava dam. The river was forced to reroute itself around the dam and Grand Falls formed where the river rejoins its original course.From the Wikipedia article “Grand Falls (Arizona)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Grand Falls 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) | 7:29 AM | 90° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:11 AM | 60° ENE | 8:44 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:14 AM | 89° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 119° ESE | 5:17 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 46m |
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 | 7:06 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 02m |
| February | 6:46 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:33 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 7:11 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:33 PM | 7:58 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:27 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:24 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 5:53 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 02m |
| June | 5:40 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:48 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 32m |
| July | 5:52 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 19m |
| August | 6:18 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 30m |
| September | 6:43 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:33 PM | 7:59 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:06 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 19m |
| December | 6:59 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 47m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Grand Falls, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:13 AM – 5:43 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:18 AM – 6:08 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:18 AM – 5:18 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:23 AM – 4:33 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:31 PM – 4:21 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:26 PM – 2:56 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:49 PM – 12:49 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 9:00 PM – 10:50 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:16 PM – 8:46 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.82 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (54%). July is the warmest month and December 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 | 84 | 90 | 101 | 106 | 106 | 104 | 102 | 91 | 80 | 71 |
| Low °F | 4 | 3 | 14 | 22 | 28 | 39 | 53 | 50 | 37 | 18 | 12 | 7 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.4 |
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 waterfall
- 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.
- Spring snowmelt and the days after heavy rain give the strongest flow; late summer flow can drop to a trickle.
- Look for a foreground: a mossy boulder, a fallen log or the creek's leading lines make a stronger frame than the falls alone.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Grand Falls, closest first.
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Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.