Located in Chester County, South Carolina, Great Falls is a waterfall at about 92 m (302 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 2.3 km (1.4 mi) ENE of Great Falls.
The Great Falls of the Catawba River mark the point at which the river encounters a series of rapids while coursing across the Piedmont Plateau on the border of Lancaster County, South Carolina, and Chester County, South Carolina, near the town of Great Falls. The Great Falls are located about 55 miles south of Charlotte. Prior to the creation of the Fishing Creek Reservoir and other artificial lakes by Duke Power, the falls were a major landmark on the river. The rapids could be heard from long distances away, while a major pre-Columbian trading path ran near the left bank.From the Wikipedia article “Great Falls (Catawba River)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Great 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) | 7:28 AM | 90° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:12 AM | 61° ENE | 8:40 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:27 AM | 118° ESE | 5:17 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 50m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:04 PM | 10h 06m |
| February | 6:44 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:33 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 7:10 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:08 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:57 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:27 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 5:54 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 58m |
| June | 5:42 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:48 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 28m |
| July | 5:54 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 15m |
| August | 6:18 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:40 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 6:42 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:57 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:04 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 22m |
| December | 6:56 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 51m |
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 Great Falls, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:02 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:16 AM – 6:06 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:14 AM – 5:14 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 12:18 AM – 4:38 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:24 PM – 4:24 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:20 PM – 3:00 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:45 PM – 12:55 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:57 PM – 10:57 PM | 2.0 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:15 PM – 8:55 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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 ≈ 21.3 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (57%). 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 | 76 | 79 | 85 | 94 | 100 | 109 | 109 | 108 | 102 | 102 | 85 | 80 |
| Low °F | 8 | 13 | 14 | 25 | 40 | 51 | 59 | 55 | 46 | 31 | 21 | 17 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 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
- 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.
- 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 Great Falls, closest first.
FAQ
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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.