Caribou Mountain — a mountain peak in Franklin County, Maine at about 1,110 m (3,642 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 102 km (64 mi) NW of Skowhegan.
Caribou Mountain is a mountain on the Canada–United States border, the section of which follows the height of land of the Saint Lawrence River watershed. The peak is located about 0.5 mi (0.80 km) inside Franklin County, Maine. The southwest end of Caribou's summit ridge is in Le Granit Regional County Municipality, Québec. The northwest side of Caribou Mountain drains into the West Branch of the Moose River, thence into the South Branch of the Moose, the Moose River, and the Kennebec River, then into the Gulf of Maine. The southeast side of Caribou Mountain drains into Number Six Brook, then into the South Branch of the Moose River. The southwest end of Caribou Mountain drains into Rivière aux Araignées in Saint-Augustin-de-Woburn, Quebec, then into Lac aux Araignées, Lac Mégantic, the Rivière Chaudière, the Saint Lawrence River, and into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.From the Wikipedia article “Caribou Mountain (Franklin County, Maine)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Caribou Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:47 AM | 90° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:55 AM | 55° NE | 8:35 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:30 AM | 89° E | 6:42 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 124° ESE | 4:03 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 43m |
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 | 6:46 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:40 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:09 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:27 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 4:39 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:56 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 53m |
| June | 4:16 AM | 4:54 AM | 5:40 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 39m |
| July | 4:33 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:12 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:24 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 5:52 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:01 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:25 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:29 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:27 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:46 PM | 9h 32m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:11 PM | 4:01 PM | 4:35 PM | 8h 44m |
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 Caribou Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 1 (excellent dark-sky site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:47 AM – 5:07 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:47 AM – 3:57 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 12:47 AM – 2:57 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:10 PM – 2:10 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:53 PM – 12:53 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:48 PM – 10:58 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:37 PM – 8:57 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.92 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 57% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 49 | 54 | 68 | 74 | 83 | 86 | 85 | 83 | 82 | 74 | 65 | 55 |
| Low °F | -32 | -32 | -21 | 0 | 23 | 33 | 42 | 40 | 27 | 15 | -5 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Caribou Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfallWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Caribou Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Caribou Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Caribou Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Caribou Mountain?
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How far is Caribou Mountain from Skowhegan?
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.