Alcovy Mountain — a mountain peak in Walton County, Georgia at about 316 m (1,037 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Monroe, about 7.5 km (4.7 mi) away (Alcovy Mountain lies SSW of town).
Alcovy Mountain stands as a geological and geographical highlight in Georgia. This monadnock, similar to Kennesaw Mountain in Marietta, rises prominently in Walton County about four miles south of Monroe. With a summit elevation of 1,088 ft (332 m), it holds the title of the highest point in Walton County. Furthermore, it marks the southeastern-most mountain of significance in the Appalachian mountain range. The terrain around the mountain averages roughly 750 feet (230 m) AMSL. Alcovy (pronunciation: al-CO-vee) Mountain rises steeply from the banks of the Alcovy River, which arises farther north, in Gwinnett County.From the Wikipedia article “Alcovy Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Alcovy Mountain 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 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 80° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:40 AM | 90° E | 7:47 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:26 AM | 61° ENE | 8:49 PM | 299° WNW | 80° | 14h 24m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:24 AM | 89° E | 7:33 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:37 AM | 118° ESE | 5:31 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 54m |
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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:13 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 09m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:45 PM | 10h 59m |
| March | 7:22 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:19 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:08 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 01m |
| May | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:29 PM | 8:57 PM | 13h 54m |
| June | 5:56 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:02 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 23m |
| July | 6:08 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 11m |
| August | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 25m |
| September | 6:54 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:52 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:08 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 7:15 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:14 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:33 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 25m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:56 PM | 9h 56m |
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 Alcovy Mountain, 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:13 AM – 5:53 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:26 AM – 6:16 AM | 1.8 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:24 AM – 5:34 AM | 3.2 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 12:26 AM – 4:56 AM | 4.5 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:32 PM – 4:32 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:28 PM – 3:08 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 1:14 AM | 3.3 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 9:07 PM – 11:07 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:25 PM – 9:05 PM | 0.7 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.61 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 42% average cloud cover) and February 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 | 84 | 93 | 98 | 111 | 109 | 107 | 103 | 102 | 85 | 79 |
| Low °F | 8 | 16 | 18 | 26 | 40 | 54 | 60 | 57 | 44 | 30 | 20 | 18 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.9 |
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 peak
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Alcovy Mountain, closest first.
State Park
Covered Bridge
Botanical GardenFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Alcovy Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Alcovy Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Alcovy Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Alcovy Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Alcovy Mountain?
How far is Alcovy Mountain from Monroe?
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.