White Cap Mountain — a mountain peak in Piscataquis County, Maine at about 1,111 m (3,645 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 29 km (18 mi) ENE of Greenville.
White Cap Mountain is a mountain located in Piscataquis County, Maine. White Cap Mountain is flanked to the east by Hay Mountain, to the south by Big Spruce Mountain and to the southeast by Little Spruce Mountain. White Cap Mountain lies within the watershed of the Pleasant River, a tributary of the Piscataquis River, which drains into the Penobscot River, and into Penobscot Bay. The east side of White Cap drains into B Inlet Brook, then into B Pond, Guernsey Brook, and the East Branch of the Pleasant River. The north and northwest sides of White Cap drain into the West Branch Ponds, then into the West Branch of the Pleasant River. The south side of White Cap drains into Greenwood Brook, then into the West Branch of the Pleasant. The Appalachian Trail, a 2,170 mi (3,490 km) National Scenic Trail from Georgia to Maine, runs along the four-mile-long ridge of hills to the east, across...From the Wikipedia article “White Cap Mountain (Piscataquis County, Maine)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At White Cap 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) | 6:25 AM | 89° E | 6:37 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 124° SE | 3:57 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 | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:33 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:10 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:35 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 6:21 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:43 PM | 7:12 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:21 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:32 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:54 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 4:33 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:50 AM | 7:18 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:10 AM | 4:48 AM | 5:34 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 40m |
| July | 4:27 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:48 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:24 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 21m |
| August | 5:06 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:19 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 | 6:24 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:53 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:05 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:22 AM | 3:23 PM | 4:08 PM | 4:40 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 6:37 AM | 7:11 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:05 PM | 3:55 PM | 4:29 PM | 8h 43m |
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 White Cap 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
- 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.
- 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 White Cap Mountain, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
Wilderness AreaWaterfallWaterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph White Cap Mountain?
What time is golden hour at White Cap Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at White Cap Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from White Cap Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at White Cap Mountain?
How far is White Cap Mountain from Greenville?
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.