Phantom Falls — a waterfall in Butte County, California — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 10.7 km (6.6 mi) N of Oroville.
Phantom Falls or Coal Canyon Falls is a waterfall at Coal Canyon near Oroville, California, within the North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve. The waterfall is 166 feet (51 m) high and runs off the edge of Coal Canyon, in front of a grotto. A small pool at the bottom is home to a California newt subspecies, the Coastal Range newt. As a seasonal waterfall, Phantom Falls runs only during the rainy months, late autumn to early spring. It is named Phantom Falls because it disappears during the dry season. There is no trail to the waterfall, although a parking lot on Cherokee Road provides access for hikers. It is about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the parking lot to the waterfall, which is visible from the rim of Coal Canyon. A strenuous downhill hike then ends at the bottom of the waterfall. The falls can also be reached from Coal Canyon Road at the bottom of Coal Canyon, a hike of about the...From the Wikipedia article “Phantom Falls”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Phantom Falls the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 90° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:40 AM | 58° ENE | 8:38 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 120° ESE | 4:46 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 22m |
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 | 6:56 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 41m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:38 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:22 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 21m |
| June | 5:06 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 57m |
| July | 5:20 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 42m |
| August | 5:51 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 6:21 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:28 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:21 PM | 10h 01m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 23m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Phantom Falls, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:13 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:23 AM – 5:43 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:20 AM – 4:50 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:23 AM – 3:53 AM | 3.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:37 PM – 3:37 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:29 PM – 2:09 AM | 3.7 | 22° | S → SW |
| August | 9:44 PM – 12:04 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:47 PM – 10:07 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:58 PM – 8:08 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.84 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 10% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 74 | 74 | 79 | 84 | 100 | 108 | 109 | 106 | 108 | 99 | 85 | 69 |
| Low °F | 19 | 19 | 24 | 28 | 32 | 39 | 49 | 49 | 38 | 31 | 14 | 15 |
| Precip. (in) | 5.4 | 6.2 | 5.1 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 3.8 | 7.2 |
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 Phantom Falls, closest first.
Waterfall
Covered Bridge
Lake
Covered Bridge
Mountain Peak
CanyonWaterfall
WaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Phantom Falls?
What time is golden hour at Phantom Falls?
Where does the sun rise and set at Phantom Falls?
Can you see the Milky Way from Phantom Falls?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Phantom Falls?
How far is Phantom Falls from Oroville?
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.