Located in Harlan County, Kentucky, Black Mountain is a mountain peak at about 1,259 m (4,131 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Appalachia, about 10.0 km (6.2 mi) away (Black Mountain lies W of town).
Black Mountain is the highest mountain peak in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, with a summit elevation of 4,145 feet (1,263 m) above mean sea level and a top-to-bottom height of over 2,500 feet (760 m). The summit is located at approximately 36°54′51″N 82°53′38″W in Harlan County, Kentucky near the Virginia border, just above the towns of Lynch, Kentucky and Appalachia, Virginia.From the Wikipedia article “Black Mountain (Kentucky)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Black Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:36 AM | 90° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:13 AM | 60° ENE | 8:55 PM | 301° WNW | 77° | 14h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:20 AM | 89° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:42 AM | 119° ESE | 5:19 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 38m |
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 | 7:44 AM | 8:23 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:07 PM | 9h 54m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:39 PM | 10h 51m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:18 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:05 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:31 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:33 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 08m |
| May | 5:56 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 08m |
| June | 5:42 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:51 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 41m |
| July | 5:55 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:02 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 27m |
| August | 6:22 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:25 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 35m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:07 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:14 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 17m |
| November | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:49 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 13m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 39m |
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 Black Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 24° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:30 AM – 5:50 AM | 0.3 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:36 AM – 6:06 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:29 AM – 5:19 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 12:36 AM – 4:36 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:46 PM – 4:16 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:40 PM – 2:50 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:01 PM – 12:51 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 9:09 PM – 10:49 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:23 PM – 8:53 PM | 0.5 | 14° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.68 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 71 | 74 | 80 | 83 | 90 | 102 | 101 | 99 | 97 | 95 | 81 | 74 |
| Low °F | -2 | -3 | 7 | 20 | 33 | 41 | 51 | 49 | 37 | 23 | 15 | 4 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
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
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Black Mountain, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Cave Springs (Va)13.1 km (8.1 mi) · reservable
- High Knob Campground24 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Cane Patch28 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Phillip'S Creek Group Picnic Area29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Black Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Black Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Black Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Black Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Black Mountain?
How far is Black Mountain from Appalachia?
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.