Located in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Berlin Mountain is a mountain peak at about 852 m (2,795 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 7.1 km (4.4 mi) WSW of Williamstown.
Berlin Mountain is a 2,818-foot-tall (859 m) peak in the Taconic Mountains. Located within the Taconic Ridge State Forest in Berlin, Rensselaer County, New York, it is the highest point in Rensselaer County, and the highest peak of the Taconic Range residing in New York State. The New York/Massachusetts state line lies just east of the summit; this results in the summit and west side of the mountain being located in New York, while the east side lies within Williamstown, Massachusetts. The mountain is notable for its grassy summit. The 37-mile (60 km) Taconic Crest Trail traverses the mountain. Several other hiking trails approach the summit from the east. Much of the upper slopes and summit are within protected conservation land. Historically the lower slopes of the mountain were farmed heavily throughout the 19th Century. In addition to agriculture, there are several remnants of...From the Wikipedia article “Berlin Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Berlin Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:16 AM | 56° ENE | 8:35 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 122° ESE | 4:23 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 02m |
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 | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:22 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 4:40 AM | 5:15 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:28 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 04m |
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 Berlin Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:37 AM – 4:27 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:38 AM – 3:28 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:50 PM – 2:50 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 1:29 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:45 PM – 11:35 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 9:31 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.66 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 51% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 64 | 70 | 73 | 87 | 91 | 93 | 100 | 98 | 93 | 86 | 74 | 68 |
| Low °F | -24 | -18 | -15 | 12 | 27 | 34 | 46 | 46 | 34 | 18 | 3 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 3.9 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Berlin Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain Peak
Lake
State Park
State Park
Fire Lookout
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Berlin Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Berlin Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Berlin Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Berlin Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Berlin Mountain?
How far is Berlin Mountain from Williamstown?
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.