Located in Garrett County, Maryland, Lower Swallow Falls is a waterfall at about 662 m (2,172 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 10.3 km (6.4 mi) N of Oakland.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lower Swallow 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) | 7:22 AM | 90° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:51 AM | 58° ENE | 8:49 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:35 AM | 120° ESE | 4:58 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 23m |
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 | 7:08 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:48 PM | 9h 41m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:34 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 21m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:31 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 57m |
| July | 5:32 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:43 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 42m |
| August | 6:02 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:01 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:05 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:07 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:33 PM | 10h 01m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:14 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 24m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Lower Swallow 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:25 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:35 AM – 5:55 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:32 AM – 5:02 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:35 AM – 4:05 AM | 3.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:49 PM – 3:49 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:41 PM – 2:21 AM | 3.7 | 22° | S → SW |
| August | 9:56 PM – 12:16 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 9:00 PM – 10:20 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:10 PM – 8:20 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.6 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 66 | 70 | 77 | 85 | 87 | 90 | 97 | 94 | 93 | 89 | 74 | 72 |
| Low °F | -10 | -7 | -8 | 19 | 23 | 36 | 45 | 44 | 34 | 20 | 6 | 2 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Lower Swallow Falls, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
State Park
LakeState ParkWaterfall
Mountain Pass
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Mill Run Recreation Area24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Howell Run Picnic Area26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Robert W Craig27 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Somerfield North Recreation Area29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lower Swallow Falls?
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How far is Lower Swallow Falls from Oakland?
Sources
Location data: USGS GNIS / GeoNames. 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.