Clifty Falls State Park is a waterfall in Jefferson County, Indiana. The nearest town is North Madison, about 2.7 km (1.7 mi) away (Clifty Falls State Park lies SW of town).
Clifty Falls State Park is an Indiana state park on 1,416 acres (573 ha) in Jefferson County, Indiana in the United States. It is 46 miles (74 km) northeast of Louisville, Kentucky. The park attracts about 370,000 visitors annually. On October 27, 1920, citizens of Madison, Indiana gave the land for the park, 570 acres (230 ha), to the state of Indiana at the suggestion of Richard Lieber. This was after a year's work by the citizens. A naturalist program for Indiana state parks started in 1927, with Clifty Falls being one of the first four parks to implement the program. The park features Clifty Creek, Little Clifty Creek, and a canyon in which the sun only shines during midday. It has many acclaimed nature trails, especially those that go near Clifty Falls. The Clifty Inn is available for overnight guests, and the park contains a campground with sites for RV and tent campers.From the Wikipedia article “Clifty Falls State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Clifty Falls State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (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 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:46 AM | 90° E | 7:54 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:18 AM | 59° ENE | 9:11 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:30 AM | 89° E | 7:40 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:57 AM | 120° ESE | 5:24 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 27m |
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 | 7:30 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:40 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:44 PM | 6:13 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 7:07 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:47 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 7:27 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:29 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:15 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:39 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 6:01 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:08 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 5:45 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:57 AM | 8:29 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:41 PM | 14h 52m |
| July | 5:59 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:28 PM | 9:07 PM | 9:38 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 6:28 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:06 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:57 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:59 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:18 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:27 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:56 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 7:24 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:35 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:52 PM | 9h 28m |
Local time (America/Indiana/Indianapolis), 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 Clifty Falls State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 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 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:49 AM – 5:59 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:58 AM – 6:18 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:54 AM – 5:24 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:55 AM – 4:35 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 11:07 PM – 4:17 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 11:00 PM – 2:50 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:17 PM – 12:47 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 9:22 PM – 10:42 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:33 PM – 8:53 PM | 0.3 | 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: 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 ≈ 19.26 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (71%). 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 | 68 | 73 | 80 | 83 | 88 | 102 | 104 | 101 | 99 | 95 | 81 | 71 |
| Low °F | -4 | -7 | -1 | 23 | 30 | 44 | 50 | 50 | 38 | 25 | 13 | -9 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.2 |
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
- Keep a microfiber cloth handy — spray drifts onto the lens, especially at the plunge pool.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Clifty Falls State Park, closest first.
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How far is Clifty Falls State Park from North Madison?
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.