Dans Mountain is a mountain peak in Allegany County, Maryland at about 873 m (2,864 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 4.2 km (2.6 mi) WNW of Bel Air.
Dans Mountain is located in Allegany County, Maryland, USA between Georges Creek and the North Branch Potomac River. The highest point on Dans Mountain is called Dan's Rock which has an elevation of 2,895 feet (882 m). The mountain rises 2,200 feet (670 m) above the town of LaVale and the summit is the highest point in Allegany County. Although there are higher points in Maryland, Dans Mountain has the most impressive escarpment of Maryland's mountains. It is essentially continuous with the longer escarpment that continues both north (into Pennsylvania) and south (into West Virginia) known as the Allegheny Front. Dans Mountain State Park is located along a 16-mile (26 km) stretch of the mountain, 9 miles (14 km) south of Frostburg, Maryland. Dan's Rock Overlook is the highest scenic overlook in the park. The park also features a pond that is stocked annually, an Olympic-sized pool...From the Wikipedia article “Dans Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Dans Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:20 AM | 90° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:49 AM | 58° ENE | 8:47 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:04 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 120° ESE | 4:55 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 22m |
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 | 7:06 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 41m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:50 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 21m |
| June | 5:16 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:29 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 57m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 42m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 45m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:38 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:30 PM | 10h 01m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 23m |
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 Dans Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:23 AM – 5:33 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:33 AM – 5:53 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:30 AM – 5:00 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:33 AM – 4:03 AM | 3.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:47 PM – 3:47 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 2:19 AM | 3.7 | 22° | S → SW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 12:14 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 10:18 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:08 PM – 8:18 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.83 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 69 | 74 | 78 | 86 | 94 | 95 | 100 | 98 | 97 | 93 | 82 | 76 |
| Low °F | -7 | -4 | -3 | 20 | 26 | 38 | 49 | 47 | 35 | 19 | 6 | 4 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 3.1 |
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.
- 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 Dans Mountain, closest first.
State Park
Cave
State Park
State Park
Covered Bridge
Mountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Irons Mountain Hiker-Biker Campsite13.9 km (8.6 mi)
- Evitts Creek Hiker-Biker Campsite14.6 km (9.1 mi)
- Spring Gap Campground15.5 km (9.6 mi) · reservable
- Pigmans Ferry Hiker-Biker Campsite22 km (13 mi)
- Robert W Craig26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Dans Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Dans Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Dans Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Dans Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Dans Mountain?
How far is Dans Mountain from Bel Air?
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.