Located in Somerset County, Maine, Sandy Bay Mountain is a mountain peak at about 950 m (3,117 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 122 km (76 mi) NNW of Skowhegan.
Sandy Bay Mountain, known officially in Quebec as Mont Sandy Stream, is a mountain located on the Canada–United States border, with a height of 950 m (3,117 ft) above sea level. The northeastern part of the mountain is in Somerset County, Maine, while the southwestern part is in Saint-Ludger, Quebec. There, it is unofficially known as Mont Bélanger.From the Wikipedia article “Sandy Bay Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sandy Bay 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 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:46 AM | 90° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:53 AM | 54° NE | 8:36 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 43m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:29 AM | 89° E | 6:41 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 124° SE | 4:00 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 40m |
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 | 6:46 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:07 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 04m |
| February | 6:14 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:26 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:39 PM | 10h 23m |
| March | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:17 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:25 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:36 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 4:36 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 55m |
| June | 4:14 AM | 4:52 AM | 5:38 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 42m |
| July | 4:30 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 22m |
| August | 5:10 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:24 PM | 14h 09m |
| September | 5:51 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:00 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:25 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:29 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:27 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:27 AM | 3:27 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:44 PM | 9h 30m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:09 PM | 3:59 PM | 4:33 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 Sandy Bay 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 4:47 AM – 5:07 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:48 AM – 3:58 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 12:49 AM – 2:49 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:14 PM – 2:04 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:55 PM – 12:55 AM | 2.0 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:49 PM – 10:49 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:38 PM – 8:48 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 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 Sandy Bay Mountain, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sandy Bay Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Sandy Bay Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sandy Bay Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sandy Bay Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sandy Bay Mountain?
How far is Sandy Bay Mountain from Skowhegan?
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.