Snow Mountain — a mountain peak in Franklin County, Maine at about 1,209 m (3,967 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 57 km (35 mi) NW of Kingfield.
Snow Mountain is a mountain located in Franklin County, Maine, about 5 mi (8 km) from the Canada–United States border. Snow Mtn. is flanked to the northeast by Bag Pond Mountain, and to the southeast by Round Mountain. The north side of Snow Mountain drains into Indian Stream, then into Chain of Ponds, the North Branch of the Dead River, Flagstaff Lake, the Dead River, the Kennebec River, and into the Gulf of Maine. The southeast side of Snow Mountain drains into Little Alder Stream, then into Alder Stream, and the North Branch of the Dead River. The north side of Snow Mountain drains into Big Island Pond, then into the Kennebago River, and the Androscoggin River, which drains into Merrymeeting Bay, the estuary of the Kennebec River.From the Wikipedia article “Snow Mountain (Franklin County, Maine)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Snow Mountain 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) | 6:47 AM | 90° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:56 AM | 55° NE | 8:35 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 39m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:30 AM | 89° E | 6:42 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 124° ESE | 4:03 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 44m |
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 | 8:06 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 07m |
| February | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:41 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:10 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:18 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:28 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 4:39 AM | 5:14 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 52m |
| June | 4:18 AM | 4:55 AM | 5:41 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 38m |
| July | 4:34 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 19m |
| August | 5:13 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:24 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 5:52 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:01 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:26 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:59 PM | 6:29 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:27 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:47 PM | 9h 33m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:12 PM | 4:02 PM | 4:36 PM | 8h 45m |
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 Snow Mountain, 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 | 4:48 AM – 5:08 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:47 AM – 4:07 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:46 AM – 2:56 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:08 PM – 2:18 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:51 PM – 1:01 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:48 PM – 10:58 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:37 PM – 8:57 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 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
- 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.
- 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 Snow Mountain, closest first.
Waterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Snow Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Snow Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Snow Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Snow Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Snow Mountain?
How far is Snow Mountain 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.