Located in Santa Barbara County, California, Sisquoc Falls is a waterfall at about 1,109 m (3,638 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Mission Canyon, about 32 km (20 mi) away (Sisquoc Falls lies N of town).
Sisquoc Falls is a large plunge type waterfall located in the San Rafael Mountains of Santa Barbara County, California, about 65 miles (105 km) east of Santa Maria. It is located in the backcountry of the San Rafael Wilderness on Falls Canyon Creek, a tributary of the Sisquoc River. One of the tallest waterfalls in Southern California, the falls stand at least 250 feet (76 m) high, dropping off the edge of a semi-circular natural amphitheatre into a long and deep pool. Many smaller cascades occur both above and below the main drop. Fed by a fairly large and high elevation watershed, the falls flow strongly between December and April but diminish to a trickle by late summer. The falls are extremely difficult to access, requiring a 20-mile (32 km) one way hike from the closest road. In addition, the waterfall itself sits in the Sisquoc Condor Sanctuary, which is off limits to the...From the Wikipedia article “Sisquoc Falls”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sisquoc Falls 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 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:47 AM | 61° ENE | 8:16 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:03 AM | 118° ESE | 4:52 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 49m |
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 | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:39 PM | 10h 05m |
| February | 6:20 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:20 AM | 5:08 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:31 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 5:29 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 59m |
| June | 5:17 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 28m |
| July | 5:29 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 16m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:25 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 4:18 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:22 PM | 10h 21m |
| December | 6:32 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:39 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 50m |
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 Sisquoc 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:37 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:51 AM – 5:41 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:50 AM – 4:50 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:54 PM – 4:14 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:01 PM – 3:51 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:56 PM – 2:26 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:21 PM – 12:31 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 10:23 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:49 PM – 8:29 PM | 0.7 | 16° | 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: 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 ≈ 21.2 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show August as the clearest month (about 21% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (43%). 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 | 82 | 83 | 85 | 93 | 99 | 108 | 109 | 106 | 111 | 100 | 89 | 80 |
| Low °F | 25 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 35 | 43 | 48 | 50 | 42 | 37 | 29 | 25 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.3 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Sisquoc Falls, closest first.
National Forest
Wilderness Area
Wilderness Area
Mountain Peak
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Nira Campground19.1 km (11.8 mi) · reservable
- Davy Brown Campground20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Upper Oso Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Mt. Figueroa Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Sage Hill23 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sisquoc Falls?
What time is golden hour at Sisquoc Falls?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sisquoc Falls?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sisquoc Falls?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sisquoc Falls?
How far is Sisquoc Falls from Mission Canyon?
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.