Doubletop Mountain — a mountain peak in Piscataquis County, Maine at about 1,059 m (3,474 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 41 km (26 mi) NW of Millinocket.
Doubletop Mountain is a mountain located in Piscataquis County, Maine, in Baxter State Park. According to Fannie Hardy Eckstorm, the mountain's Indigenous name was Psinskihegan-I-Outop. Psinskihegan means notch and I-Outop means head. In 1828 in the Survey of Maine, Moses Greenleaf called the mountain a variation Chinskihegan or Outop. It eventually became Doubletop, named for its two peaks. The mountain's two peaks are a north peak (3,489 ft or 1,063 m) and a south peak (3,455 ft or 1,053 m). From the north a trail from the Nesowednehunk Campground to the north peak is 3.1 miles (5.0 km) long and another 0.2 miles (0.32 km) to the south peak. From Foster Field, to the south, a 4-mile (6.4 km) trail leads to the summit. The last third of mile (0.53 km) is steep and climbs about 900 feet (270 m). The north peak is wooded while the south peak is more open. Beneath north peak, set in...From the Wikipedia article “Doubletop Mountain (Maine)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Doubletop Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:40 AM | 90° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:46 AM | 54° NE | 8:31 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 45m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:24 AM | 89° E | 6:36 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 124° SE | 3:54 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 39m |
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 | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:51 PM | 9h 03m |
| February | 6:09 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:33 PM | 10h 23m |
| March | 6:20 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:12 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:20 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:31 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 32m |
| May | 4:30 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:18 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 56m |
| June | 4:08 AM | 4:46 AM | 5:32 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 43m |
| July | 4:24 AM | 5:01 AM | 5:46 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 24m |
| August | 5:04 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:19 PM | 14h 10m |
| September | 5:45 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:23 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:05 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:23 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:06 PM | 4:39 PM | 9h 29m |
| December | 6:37 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:02 PM | 3:52 PM | 4:27 PM | 8h 41m |
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 Doubletop Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 4:52 AM – 5:02 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:43 AM – 3:53 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 12:45 AM – 2:45 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:11 PM – 2:01 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:52 PM – 12:42 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:45 PM – 10:45 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:32 PM – 8:42 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ 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 54% average cloud cover) and May 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 | 50 | 46 | 70 | 74 | 83 | 90 | 89 | 86 | 85 | 77 | 65 | 56 |
| Low °F | -32 | -27 | -19 | 7 | 26 | 34 | 46 | 43 | 31 | 22 | -1 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 |
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.
- 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 Doubletop Mountain, closest first.
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Doubletop Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Doubletop Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Doubletop Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Doubletop Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Doubletop Mountain?
How far is Doubletop Mountain from Millinocket?
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.