Yonah Mountain is a mountain peak in White County, Georgia at about 958 m (3,143 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Cleveland, about 6.4 km (4.0 mi) away (Yonah Mountain lies NE of town).
Yonah Mountain (commonly referred to as "Mount Yonah" or, by older Georgians, "Yonah Bald") is a mountain ridge located in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in Georgia, United States. It is between the cities of Cleveland and Helen. Yonah is the Cherokee word for Bear. There is a signed trailhead from Chambers Road and an approximately 2.3 mile trail (gaining 1500 feet in elevation) leads to the summit. There are also side trails that lead to neighboring Pink Mountain. The 5th Ranger Training Battalion, Ranger Training Brigade of the United States Army conducts the Mountain Phase of Ranger School on Yonah Mountain. It has been a popular training ground for rock climbers.From the Wikipedia article “Yonah Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Yonah 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 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) | 7:39 AM | 90° E | 7:47 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:23 AM | 61° ENE | 8:52 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:24 AM | 89° E | 7:33 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:39 AM | 118° ESE | 5:29 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 | 7:15 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:20 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 05m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:44 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 7:21 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:20 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:08 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:38 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:38 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 6:05 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:31 PM | 8:59 PM | 13h 58m |
| June | 5:53 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 28m |
| July | 6:05 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:10 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 15m |
| August | 6:30 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 6:53 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:52 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:09 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:16 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:46 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 22m |
| December | 7:07 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:14 AM | 4:48 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:54 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 Yonah Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), 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 | 4:27 AM – 6:17 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 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:37 PM – 4:27 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 3:02 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:57 PM – 1:07 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 9:09 PM – 10:59 PM | 1.8 | 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.28 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Yonah Mountain, closest first.
Covered Bridge
Waterfall
Mountain PassMountain Pass
WaterfallMountain Pass
WaterfallMountain Pass
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Andrew'S Cove Campground15.8 km (9.8 mi) · reservable
- Upper Chattahoochee River Campground17.8 km (11.0 mi) · reservable
- Desoto Falls Recreation Area19.9 km (12.4 mi) · reservable
- Lake Winfield Scott Recreation Area19.9 km (12.4 mi) · reservable
- Lake Rabun Beach Recreation Area25 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Yonah Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Yonah Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Yonah Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Yonah Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Yonah Mountain?
How far is Yonah Mountain from Cleveland?
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.