Mount Bigelow — a mountain peak in Somerset County, Maine at about 1,227 m (4,026 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Kingfield, about 24 km (15 mi) away (Mount Bigelow lies NNW of town).
Mount Bigelow (also called the Bigelow Range and Bigelow Mountain) is a long mountain ridge with several summits. It is located in Franklin County and Somerset County, Maine. It is one of Maine's highest summits. The mountain is named after Major Timothy Bigelow who climbed the rugged summit in late October 1775 "for the purpose of observation." Major Bigelow was one of Colonel Benedict Arnold's four division commanders during the 1775 Invasion of Canada. The expeditionary force passed along the Dead River on the northern edge of the Bigelow Range, now dammed into Flagstaff Lake. The highest summit of Bigelow Mountain is West Peak, at 4,145 ft (1,263 m). Subpeaks include Avery Peak (Myron H. Avery Peak) at 4,088 ft (1,246 m), The Horns at 3,805 ft (1,160 m), Cranberry Peak at 3,194 ft (974 m), and Little Bigelow Mountain at about 3,070 ft (940 m). Bigelow Mountain is part of...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Bigelow (Maine)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Bigelow 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) | 6:45 AM | 90° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:55 AM | 55° NE | 8:33 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 38m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:29 AM | 89° E | 6:41 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:18 AM | 124° ESE | 4:02 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 45m |
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 | 6:44 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 08m |
| February | 6:13 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:39 PM | 10h 26m |
| March | 6:25 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:26 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:37 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 4:38 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 52m |
| June | 4:17 AM | 4:54 AM | 5:39 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 37m |
| July | 4:33 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:03 PM | 15h 18m |
| August | 5:11 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:22 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 5:51 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:24 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:27 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:08 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:45 PM | 9h 33m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:11 PM | 4:00 PM | 4:34 PM | 8h 46m |
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 Mount Bigelow, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 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 | 4:46 AM – 5:06 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:45 AM – 4:05 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:44 AM – 2:54 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:06 PM – 2:16 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:49 PM – 12:59 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 10:56 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 8:55 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 ≈ 21.89 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
- 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.
- 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 Mount Bigelow, closest first.
Ghost Town
WaterfallWaterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Bigelow?
What time is golden hour at Mount Bigelow?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Bigelow?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Bigelow?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Bigelow?
How far is Mount Bigelow from Kingfield?
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.