Hoye-Crest is a mountain peak in Garrett County, Maryland at about 1,027 m (3,369 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Mountain Lake Park, about 20 km (12 mi) away (Hoye-Crest lies SSW of town).
Hoye-Crest is a summit along Backbone Mountain just inside of Garrett County, Maryland. It is the highest natural point in Maryland at an elevation of 3,360 feet (1,020 m). The location, named for Captain Charles E. Hoye (1876–1951), founder of the Garrett County Historical Society, offers a view of the North Branch Potomac River valley to the east. The Maryland Historical Society placed a historical marker at the summit during a dedication ceremony in September 1952.From the Wikipedia article “Hoye-Crest”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hoye-Crest 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) | 7:22 AM | 90° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:53 AM | 58° ENE | 8:48 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 56m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:35 AM | 120° ESE | 4:59 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 24m |
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 | 7:07 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:49 PM | 9h 43m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:18 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 7:04 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:14 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:23 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:35 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 19m |
| June | 5:20 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:32 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 55m |
| July | 5:33 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:44 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 40m |
| August | 6:03 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 43m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:01 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:34 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:42 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:33 PM | 10h 03m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 25m |
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 Hoye-Crest, 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:25 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:54 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:31 AM – 5:01 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:33 AM – 4:13 AM | 3.7 | 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° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 12:25 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:59 PM – 10:19 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:10 PM – 8:20 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.66 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 (78%). 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 | 66 | 70 | 77 | 85 | 87 | 90 | 97 | 94 | 93 | 89 | 74 | 72 |
| Low °F | -10 | -7 | -8 | 19 | 23 | 36 | 45 | 44 | 34 | 20 | 6 | 2 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Hoye-Crest, closest first.
State Park
Waterfall
Waterfall
Canyon
National Wildlife Refuge
Fire Lookout
Mountain Pass
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hoye-Crest?
What time is golden hour at Hoye-Crest?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hoye-Crest?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hoye-Crest?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hoye-Crest?
How far is Hoye-Crest from Mountain Lake Park?
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.