Diana's Baths — a waterfall in Carroll County, New Hampshire — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is North Conway, about 3.9 km (2.4 mi) away (Diana's Baths lies WNW of town).
Diana's Baths is a series of small waterfalls located in the southeastern corner of the town of Bartlett, New Hampshire, near the village of North Conway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. This historic site is within the White Mountain National Forest. The stream that flows into this waterfall is called Lucy Brook. The waterfalls were once the location of an old sawmill operation in the 1800s. After the sawmill was abandoned by the Lucy family in the 1940s, it was turned into a historic site that would be protected by the U.S. Forest Service. The total drop of the waterfalls is 75 feet (23 m), and the hike to the base of the waterfall is about 0.6 miles (1.0 km). Diana's Baths is now a popular family destination. The intensity of the stream is related to the season; the stream flow is most intense in the springtime because of runoff from the winter snowmelt....From the Wikipedia article “Diana's Baths”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Diana's Baths the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:49 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:02 AM | 56° NE | 8:32 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:32 AM | 89° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 123° ESE | 4:10 PM | 238° WSW | 22° | 8h 53m |
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 | 6:45 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:46 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:25 AM | 5:02 AM | 5:46 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 4:41 AM | 5:16 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 5:18 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:22 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 5:55 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:26 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:31 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:23 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:32 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:51 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:20 PM | 4:08 PM | 4:41 PM | 8h 54m |
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 Diana's Baths, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:38 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:34 AM – 4:14 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:39 AM – 3:09 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:55 PM – 2:35 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:41 PM – 1:11 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 11:13 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:36 PM – 9:06 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.61 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 56% 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 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 89 | 92 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 55 |
| Low °F | -27 | -32 | -21 | 7 | 24 | 33 | 43 | 41 | 28 | 20 | -4 | -22 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Diana's Baths, closest first.
Lake
State Park
Waterfall
Waterfall
Fire Lookout
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Covered Bridge9.0 km (5.6 mi) · reservable
- Doublehead Cabin11.2 km (7.0 mi) · reservable
- White Ledge Campground13.4 km (8.3 mi) · reservable
- Black Mountain Cabin14.1 km (8.7 mi) · reservable
- Russell-Colbath Barn15.7 km (9.8 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Diana's Baths?
What time is golden hour at Diana's Baths?
Where does the sun rise and set at Diana's Baths?
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Do you need a permit to photograph at Diana's Baths?
How far is Diana's Baths from North Conway?
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.