Kanawha Falls is a waterfall in Fayette County, West Virginia at about 192 m (630 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Ansted, about 10.0 km (6.2 mi) away (Kanawha Falls lies W of town).
Kanawha Falls is a waterfall on the Kanawha River in the U.S. state of West Virginia that has been a barrier to fish movement for more than 1 million years. The waterfall is formed by a diagonal sandstone ledge across the river about 1 mile (1.6 km) downstream from the confluence of the New and Gauley rivers. It is 24 ft (7.3 m) high. A low concrete overflow dam built in 1920 along the crest of the falls directs part of the flow to an electric generating plant on the western (right) bank of the river at the community of Glen Ferris. The plant was rehabilitated beginning in 2010 and fully returned to operation in 2012. The community of Gauley Bridge is 2 mi (3.2 km) upstream from Glen Ferris along U.S. Route 60. On the eastern (left) bank, a community named Kanawha Falls is about 0.6 mi (0.97 km) downstream. Kanawha Falls is the upstream limit of several fish species that broadly...From the Wikipedia article “Kanawha Falls”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Kanawha Falls 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 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (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) | 7:29 AM | 90° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:03 AM | 59° ENE | 8:52 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 49m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 120° ESE | 5:09 PM | 241° WSW | 28° | 9h 31m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:21 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:58 PM | 9h 48m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:31 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 7:11 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:59 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:23 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:45 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:29 PM | 8:59 PM | 14h 14m |
| June | 5:31 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 48m |
| July | 5:44 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:53 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 34m |
| August | 6:12 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 39m |
| September | 6:41 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:01 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:07 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:10 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:15 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:42 PM | 10h 07m |
| December | 7:05 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 32m |
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 Kanawha Falls, 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 23° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:22 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:40 AM – 6:00 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:35 AM – 5:05 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:35 AM – 4:25 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:47 PM – 3:57 AM | 5.2 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:40 PM – 2:40 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:59 PM – 12:39 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 9:04 PM – 10:34 PM | 1.5 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:16 PM – 8:36 PM | 0.3 | 13° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.71 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 52% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 72 | 74 | 85 | 84 | 98 | 99 | 103 | 100 | 98 | 95 | 80 | 75 |
| Low °F | -3 | -2 | -2 | 21 | 28 | 40 | 51 | 48 | 38 | 26 | 13 | 2 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Kanawha Falls, closest first.
Waterfall
State Park
Canyon
Waterfall
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Ghost Town
Rock Formation
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Brooklyn Campground25 km (15 mi)
- Battle Run28 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Summersville Lake Shelters29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Kanawha Falls?
What time is golden hour at Kanawha Falls?
Where does the sun rise and set at Kanawha Falls?
Can you see the Milky Way from Kanawha Falls?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Kanawha Falls?
How far is Kanawha Falls from Ansted?
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.