Weed Patch Hill is a mountain peak in Brown County, Indiana at about 322 m (1,056 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Nashville, about 5.3 km (3.3 mi) away (Weed Patch Hill lies SSE of town).
Weed Patch Hill, also known as Weed Patch Knob (1,058 feet or 322 m), is the third highest named summit in the U.S. state of Indiana. Located in Washington Township and Brown County State Park, it is the highest point in the Knobstone Escarpment. In Indiana, only Hoosier Hill (1,257 feet or 383 m) in Wayne County and Sand Hill (1,076 feet or 328 m) in Noble County are higher. Weed Patch Hill was so named by an early settler after a tornado had flattened a stand of trees and weeds grew in its place.From the Wikipedia article “Weed Patch Hill”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Weed Patch Hill the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:49 AM | 90° E | 7:57 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:20 AM | 59° ENE | 9:15 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 56m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:33 AM | 89° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:01 AM | 120° ESE | 5:26 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 25m |
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 | 7:34 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:44 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:16 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:45 PM | 6:22 PM | 6:50 PM | 10h 45m |
| March | 7:31 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:19 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:41 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 6:02 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:47 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:13 PM | 9:46 PM | 14h 54m |
| July | 6:00 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:43 PM | 14h 40m |
| August | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:10 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 7:00 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:02 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:22 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:28 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:31 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:34 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 7:00 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 7:28 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:40 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:54 PM | 9h 26m |
Local time (America/Indiana/Indianapolis), 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 Weed Patch Hill, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:52 AM – 6:02 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 5:01 AM – 6:21 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:58 AM – 5:28 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 1:00 AM – 4:40 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 11:14 PM – 4:14 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 11:06 PM – 2:46 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:22 PM – 12:52 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 9:26 PM – 10:46 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:37 PM – 8:47 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.15 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 45% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 65 | 72 | 81 | 82 | 88 | 105 | 105 | 100 | 99 | 92 | 78 | 69 |
| Low °F | -18 | -11 | 4 | 23 | 28 | 39 | 47 | 48 | 36 | 25 | 10 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 5.4 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
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
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- 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.
- 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 Weed Patch Hill, closest first.
Covered Bridge
State Park
Covered Bridge
Scenic Viewpoint
Fire Lookout
Lake
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Hickory Ridge Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Blackwell Campground 22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Hardin Ridge25 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Weed Patch Hill?
What time is golden hour at Weed Patch Hill?
Where does the sun rise and set at Weed Patch Hill?
Can you see the Milky Way from Weed Patch Hill?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Weed Patch Hill?
How far is Weed Patch Hill from Nashville?
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.