Mount Kineo is a mountain peak in Piscataquis County, Maine at about 551 m (1,808 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Greenville, about 29 km (18 mi) away (Mount Kineo lies NNW of town).
Mount Kineo is a prominent geological feature located on a 1,150-acre (470 ha) peninsula that extends from the easterly shore of Moosehead Lake in the northern forest of Maine. With 700-foot (210 m) cliffs rising straight up from the water, it is the central feature of Mount Kineo State Park, a protected area of 800 acres (320 ha) managed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Kineo”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Kineo 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 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:43 AM | 90° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:50 AM | 54° NE | 8:33 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 43m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:26 AM | 89° E | 6:39 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 124° SE | 3:58 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 41m |
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 | 6:43 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 05m |
| February | 6:12 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:36 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 6:23 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:23 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 4:34 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 55m |
| June | 4:11 AM | 4:50 AM | 5:36 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 41m |
| July | 4:28 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:03 PM | 15h 22m |
| August | 5:07 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:21 PM | 14h 09m |
| September | 5:48 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:57 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:26 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:42 PM | 9h 30m |
| December | 6:39 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:06 PM | 3:56 PM | 4:30 PM | 8h 42m |
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 Kineo, 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 4:44 AM – 5:04 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:45 AM – 3:55 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 12:46 AM – 2:46 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:11 PM – 2:01 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:52 PM – 12:52 AM | 2.0 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 10:46 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 8:45 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 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 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
- 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.
- 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 Mount Kineo, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Kineo?
What time is golden hour at Mount Kineo?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Kineo?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Kineo?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Kineo?
How far is Mount Kineo from Greenville?
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.