Sugarloaf Mountain is a mountain peak in Franklin County, Maine at about 1,292 m (4,239 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 14.9 km (9.3 mi) WNW of Kingfield.
Sugarloaf Mountain is a ski mountain located in Carrabassett Valley, Franklin County, Maine. It is the third highest peak in the state, after Mount Katahdin's Baxter and Hamlin peaks. Sugarloaf is flanked to the south by Spaulding Mountain. The northeast and west sides of Sugarloaf drain into the South Branch of the Carrabassett River, which flows into the Kennebec River, and into the Gulf of Maine. The southeast side of Sugarloaf drains into Rapid Stream, then into the West Branch of the Carrabassett River. The Appalachian Trail (AT), a 2,170 mi (3,490 km) National Scenic Trail from Georgia to Maine, passes within a mile of the summit, skirting the peak to the west, and the summit is reached by a 0.6 mi (0.97 km) side trail. This side trail, and a trail down the east side of Sugarloaf, were originally part of the AT, which has been relocated down the north side of the mountain to...From the Wikipedia article “Sugarloaf Mountain (Maine)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sugarloaf 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 68° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:45 AM | 90° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:55 AM | 55° NE | 8:32 PM | 305° NW | 68° | 15h 37m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:29 AM | 89° E | 6:41 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 123° ESE | 4:03 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 46m |
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 | 6:44 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 09m |
| February | 6:13 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:09 PM | 5:40 PM | 10h 26m |
| March | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:17 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:27 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:37 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:57 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 4:39 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:56 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 51m |
| June | 4:17 AM | 4:55 AM | 5:40 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 36m |
| July | 4:33 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 17m |
| August | 5:12 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:22 PM | 14h 06m |
| September | 5:51 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:24 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:28 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:28 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:08 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:46 PM | 9h 34m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:12 PM | 4:01 PM | 4:35 PM | 8h 47m |
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 Sugarloaf 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 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 | 4:45 AM – 5:05 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:44 AM – 4:04 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:42 AM – 3:02 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:03 PM – 2:13 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:47 PM – 12:57 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:44 PM – 11:04 PM | 1.3 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:35 PM – 8:55 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: 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 ≈ 21.88 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
- 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 Sugarloaf Mountain, closest first.
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Ghost TownWaterfall
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sugarloaf Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Sugarloaf Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sugarloaf Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sugarloaf Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sugarloaf Mountain?
How far is Sugarloaf 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.