Scott's Gulf is a waterfall in White County, Tennessee. The nearest town is Spencer, about 17.9 km (11.1 mi) away (Scott's Gulf lies ENE of town).
Scott's Gulf is a canyon situated along the Caney Fork River in White County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The canyon stretches for approximately 18 miles (29 km) as the Caney Fork drops from the top of the Cumberland Plateau down to the eastern Highland Rim. This remote section of the river is home to a wilderness area consisting of a largely undisturbed deciduous forest, numerous waterfalls, caves and other geological formations, and Class IV and Class V whitewater rapids. Roughly 10,000 acres (40 km2) of Scott's Gulf is owned by the State of Tennessee, most of it situated within the Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness, which is managed by the TWRA, and the Virgin Falls State Natural Area (Virgin Falls Pocket Wilderness Area), managed by TDEC through Fall Creek Falls State Park.From the Wikipedia article “Scott's Gulf”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Scott's Gulf the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:46 AM | 90° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:26 AM | 60° ENE | 8:01 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:30 AM | 89° E | 6:40 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:48 AM | 119° ESE | 4:32 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 43m |
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 | 6:24 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:19 PM | 10h 00m |
| February | 6:03 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 6:27 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:15 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:41 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:09 PM | 14h 03m |
| June | 4:55 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 34m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 22m |
| August | 5:34 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:25 AM | 6:58 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:16 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:23 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:33 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 5:51 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:55 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:02 PM | 10h 17m |
| December | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:30 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 45m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Scott's Gulf, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:29 AM – 4:59 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:34 AM – 5:24 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:34 AM – 4:34 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 11:40 PM – 3:50 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:48 PM – 3:28 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:43 PM – 2:03 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:06 PM – 12:06 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:16 PM – 10:06 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:32 PM – 8:02 PM | 0.5 | 15° | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.58 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 69 | 73 | 81 | 83 | 92 | 107 | 104 | 104 | 99 | 98 | 84 | 72 |
| Low °F | 2 | -5 | 13 | 22 | 33 | 47 | 53 | 51 | 39 | 26 | 12 | 8 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.3 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 5.4 |
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 Scott's Gulf, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Cave
Fire Lookout
Waterfall
Waterfall
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WaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Scott's Gulf?
What time is golden hour at Scott's Gulf?
Where does the sun rise and set at Scott's Gulf?
Can you see the Milky Way from Scott's Gulf?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Scott's Gulf?
How far is Scott's Gulf from Spencer?
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.