Hazen's Notch is a mountain pass in Orleans County, Vermont. It sits roughly 11.4 km (7.1 mi) SE of Montgomery.
Hazen's Notch is a mountain pass in Westfield, in the northern Green Mountains of Vermont. Hazen's Notch was named after Moses Hazen, who in 1779 led the construction of the Bayley Hazen Military Road. The road was planned to extend from Newbury, Vermont, to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, not far from Montreal, to facilitate an invasion of Canada during the American Revolutionary War; it had reached this point when construction stopped. The notch is defined by the cliffs of Sugarloaf Mountain to the north and by Haystack Mountain to the south. The height of land of the pass is located in Hazen's Notch State Park, in Orleans County, about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) east of the boundary between Orleans and Franklin Counties. Located on the south side of the road at the height of land in Hazen's Notch is a stone tablet inscribed with the words "Terminus of the Hazen Road, 1779" which was...From the Wikipedia article “Hazen's Notch”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hazen's Notch the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (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) | 6:54 AM | 90° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:05 AM | 55° NE | 8:40 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:38 AM | 89° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 123° ESE | 4:12 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 47m |
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
Mountain passes sit above valleys, so they reward sunrise and sunset with layered ridges, valley fog and long shadows.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:52 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 10m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 27m |
| March | 6:34 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:46 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 4:48 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:27 AM | 5:04 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 34m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 16m |
| August | 5:21 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 05m |
| September | 6:00 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:32 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 35m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:22 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:44 PM | 8h 49m |
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 Hazen's Notch, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:54 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.5 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:52 AM – 4:12 AM | 1.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:49 AM – 3:09 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:08 PM – 2:28 AM | 3.3 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:53 PM – 1:13 AM | 2.3 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:52 PM – 11:12 PM | 1.3 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 9:13 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.83 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 57% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 55 | 65 | 72 | 79 | 84 | 88 | 102 | 87 | 89 | 76 | 66 | 62 |
| Low °F | -31 | -31 | -23 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 43 | 41 | 28 | 20 | -1 | -24 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
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 mountain pass
- Weather changes fast at elevation; carry layers even in summer.
- Summit pull-outs often face one direction; use the sun azimuth table to see whether sunrise or sunset suits the view.
- Wildflowers bloom late at pass elevations — often July to early August in the Rockies and Sierra.
- Check road status before driving: many high passes close seasonally or after storms.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Summer and early autumn are the main season; winter visits depend on plowing and avalanche conditions.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Tripod, Warm layers, Road-condition app. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Hazen's Notch, closest first.
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Mountain Peak
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Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hazen's Notch?
What time is golden hour at Hazen's Notch?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hazen's Notch?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hazen's Notch?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hazen's Notch?
How far is Hazen's Notch from Montgomery?
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.