Located in Oxford County, Maine, Old Speck Mountain is a mountain peak at about 1,268 m (4,160 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 18.3 km (11.4 mi) E of Milan.
Old Speck Mountain, also known as Old Speckle Mountain, is a mountain located in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The mountain, the fourth-highest in the state, is the northeasternmost and highest of the Mahoosuc Range, the northeasternmost part of the White Mountains. Old Speck is flanked to the southwest by Mahoosuc Arm, and faces Baldpate Mountain to the northeast across Grafton Notch. Old Speck is within the watershed of the Androscoggin River, which drains into Merrymeeting Bay, the estuary of the Kennebec River, and then into the Gulf of Maine. The north and east faces of Old Speck drain into the Bear River, then into the Androscoggin. The southeast and southwest faces drain into the Bull Branch of Goose Eye Brook, then into the Sunday River and the Androscoggin. The northwest face drains into Silver Stream, then into Chickwolnepy Stream and the Androscoggin.From the Wikipedia article “Old Speck Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Old Speck Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:48 AM | 90° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:00 AM | 55° NE | 8:33 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:32 AM | 89° E | 6:43 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:18 AM | 123° ESE | 4:07 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 49m |
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 | 6:45 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 12m |
| February | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:43 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:30 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:40 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 4:43 AM | 5:17 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 48m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 4:59 AM | 5:44 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 32m |
| July | 4:38 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:03 PM | 15h 14m |
| August | 5:16 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:23 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 5:54 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:26 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:21 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:30 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:33 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:49 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:05 PM | 4:39 PM | 8h 51m |
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 Old Speck Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark 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 | 4:37 AM – 5:17 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:35 AM – 4:05 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:41 AM – 3:01 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:59 PM – 2:29 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:45 PM – 1:05 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:45 PM – 11:05 PM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:36 PM – 9:06 PM | 0.5 | 13° | 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.74 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 51 | 59 | 72 | 76 | 84 | 90 | 101 | 89 | 85 | 78 | 67 | 56 |
| Low °F | -25 | -31 | -23 | 9 | 26 | 34 | 46 | 42 | 31 | 21 | -2 | -20 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 4.4 |
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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Old Speck Mountain, closest first.
Waterfall
State Park
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
LakeWaterfallWaterfall
Covered BridgeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Old Speck Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Old Speck Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Old Speck Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Old Speck Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Old Speck Mountain?
How far is Old Speck Mountain from Milan?
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.