Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District is a ghost town in Ulster County, New York. The nearest town is Kerhonkson, about 8.4 km (5.2 mi) away (Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District lies ESE of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District is located on the Shawangunk Ridge in Gardiner, New York, United States. It is a large area that covers the site of a settlement that thrived there from the late 18th to mid-20th centuries. Inhabitants practiced subsistence farming, making it one of the rare such communities in the East to have left any trace remaining. They supplemented that with a variety of other trades, primarily in the forest products industry, with most inhabitants gradually coming to work at nearby mountain resorts in the 20th century. The last resident died in 1956. Only foundations remain for most of the buildings, and only six remain standing. Those that do show a unique structural system that suggests an influence of the Native American tribes that lived in the area at the time it was settled. Today most of them are on protected lands in the area, with a few...From the Wikipedia article “Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:23 AM | 57° ENE | 8:36 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 13m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 122° ESE | 4:30 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 09m |
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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 11m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:04 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 53m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:36 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:41 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 10m |
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 Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:27 AM – 5:27 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:28 AM – 4:28 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:36 AM – 3:36 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:45 PM – 3:05 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:35 PM – 1:45 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:45 PM – 11:45 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 9:43 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.24 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 64 | 70 | 72 | 90 | 88 | 94 | 99 | 101 | 95 | 88 | 76 | 67 |
| Low °F | -14 | -19 | -8 | 18 | 28 | 37 | 47 | 48 | 37 | 21 | 5 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
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 ghost town
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District, closest first.
Waterfall
Lake
Waterfall
National Wildlife Refuge
Waterfall
Lake
CaveWaterfall
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District?
What time is golden hour at Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District?
Where does the sun rise and set at Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District?
Can you see the Milky Way from Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District?
How far is Trapps Mountain Hamlet Historic District from Kerhonkson?
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.