Located in Piscataquis County, Maine, Saddleback Mountain is a mountain peak at about 910 m (2,986 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 24 km (15 mi) NNW of Brownville.
Saddleback Mountain is a mountain located in Piscataquis County, Maine. Saddleback Mountain stands within the watershed of the Pleasant River, which drains into the Penobscot River, and then into Penobscot Bay. The northeast end of Saddleback Mountain drains from Crater Pond into South Inlet Brook, then into B Pond, Guernsey Brook, and the East Branch of the Pleasant River. The easternmost part of Saddleback drains into Mud Gauntlet Brook, then into Ebeemee Lake, and the East Branch of the Pleasant River. The southeast side of Saddleback drains into the Middle Branch of the Pleasant River. The southwest end of Saddleback drains into Saddleback Brook, then into Silver Lake, and the West Branch of the Pleasant River. The northwest side of Saddleback drains into Big White Brook, then into Silver Lake.From the Wikipedia article “Saddleback Mountain (Piscataquis County, Maine)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Saddleback Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) 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) | 6:41 AM | 90° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:49 AM | 55° NE | 8:30 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:24 AM | 89° E | 6:36 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:14 AM | 124° SE | 3:56 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 42m |
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 | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:09 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:21 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:34 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 6:21 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:42 PM | 7:12 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:21 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:32 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:53 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 4:32 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:50 AM | 7:18 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:10 AM | 4:48 AM | 5:34 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 40m |
| July | 4:26 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:47 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:23 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 21m |
| August | 5:06 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:18 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 5:46 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:55 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:23 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:04 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:21 AM | 3:23 PM | 4:08 PM | 4:40 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 6:36 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:05 PM | 3:54 PM | 4:29 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 Saddleback 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 | 4:42 AM – 5:02 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:42 AM – 3:52 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 12:42 AM – 2:52 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:05 PM – 2:05 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:48 PM – 12:48 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 10:53 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:32 PM – 8:52 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 ≈ 21.91 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
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Saddleback Mountain, closest first.
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When is the best time to photograph Saddleback Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Saddleback Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Saddleback Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Saddleback Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Saddleback Mountain?
How far is Saddleback Mountain from Brownville?
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.