Three Sisters — a mountain peak in Lumpkin County, Georgia at about 645 m (2,116 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 8.0 km (5.0 mi) NNE of Dahlonega.
Three Sisters Mountain is a mountain near Dahlonega, Lumpkin County, Georgia with a trio of peaks known locally as Rattlesnake, Wildcat and McBrayer. The middle summit is the highest with an elevation of 2,131 feet (650 m).From the Wikipedia article “Three Sisters (Georgia)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Three Sisters 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 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:40 AM | 90° E | 7:48 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:24 AM | 61° ENE | 8:53 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:24 AM | 89° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:40 AM | 118° ESE | 5:30 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 50m |
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 | 7:16 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:21 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 05m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:45 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 7:22 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:21 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:09 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:39 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:39 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:00 PM | 13h 58m |
| June | 5:54 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:00 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 28m |
| July | 6:06 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 15m |
| August | 6:31 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 6:54 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:53 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:16 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:47 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:32 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 22m |
| December | 7:08 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:15 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:55 PM | 9h 51m |
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 Three Sisters, 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 | 5:14 AM – 5:54 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:28 AM – 6:18 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:26 AM – 5:26 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 12:30 AM – 4:50 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:36 PM – 4:36 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 3:12 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:57 PM – 1:07 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 9:09 PM – 11:09 PM | 2.0 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:26 PM – 9:06 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.23 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 44% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (59%). 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 | 75 | 81 | 86 | 92 | 108 | 107 | 103 | 100 | 100 | 84 | 74 |
| Low °F | 3 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 34 | 49 | 55 | 54 | 40 | 27 | 18 | 12 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.5 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 5.7 |
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 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Three Sisters, closest first.
Waterfall
State Park
Scenic ViewpointWaterfall
Mountain PassMountain PassMountain PassMountain PassMountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Desoto Falls Recreation Area12.4 km (7.7 mi) · reservable
- Lake Winfield Scott Recreation Area16.7 km (10.4 mi) · reservable
- Cooper Creek Campground (Ga)22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Frank Gross Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Toto Creek Campground23 km (14 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Three Sisters?
What time is golden hour at Three Sisters?
Where does the sun rise and set at Three Sisters?
Can you see the Milky Way from Three Sisters?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Three Sisters?
How far is Three Sisters from Dahlonega?
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.