Mount Grace is a mountain peak in Franklin County, Massachusetts at about 491 m (1,611 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 8.0 km (5.0 mi) E of Northfield.
Mount Grace, 1,617 feet (493 m), is a prominent monadnock located in north central Massachusetts in the town of Warwick, approximately two miles south of the New Hampshire border. The mountain is rugged and largely wooded, but a firetower on the summit provides expansive views of the surrounding rural countryside. Little Mount Grace, 1,226 feet (374 m), is the southern summit of the mountain. Mount Grace supports a predominantly northern hardwood forest as well as stands of red spruce near its summit. The north side of Mount Grace drains into the Ashuelot River, thence into the Connecticut River, then Long Island Sound; the west side drains into the Connecticut River via Mill Brook; and the south and east sides drain into the Millers River, thence into the Connecticut River.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Grace”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Grace 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) | 6:54 AM | 90° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:12 AM | 56° ENE | 8:32 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:37 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 122° ESE | 4:19 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 | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 6:19 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:39 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 4:37 AM | 5:12 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 4:52 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:02 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:07 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:30 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:35 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:17 PM | 4:49 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 Mount Grace, 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 | 4:30 AM – 5:20 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:33 AM – 4:23 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:34 AM – 3:24 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:46 PM – 2:46 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:35 PM – 1:25 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:31 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:37 PM – 9:27 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 ≈ 20.76 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 (68%). 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 | 63 | 67 | 74 | 87 | 87 | 90 | 97 | 99 | 96 | 85 | 72 | 67 |
| Low °F | -22 | -19 | -13 | 12 | 27 | 36 | 48 | 47 | 36 | 18 | 2 | -13 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
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 Mount Grace, closest first.
Fire Lookout
State Park
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Covered Bridge
Waterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Grace?
What time is golden hour at Mount Grace?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Grace?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Grace?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Grace?
How far is Mount Grace from Northfield?
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.