Northfield Mountain is a mountain peak in Franklin County, Massachusetts at about 308 m (1,010 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Erving, about 2.7 km (1.7 mi) away (Northfield Mountain lies NW of town).
Northfield Mountain, 1,206 feet (368 m), is a mountain ridge located in Erving and Northfield, Massachusetts. 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long by 1.8 miles (2.9 km) long, the mountain is composed of several distinct peaks and ledges, most notably Rattlesnake Mountain (also known as Farley Ledge) 1,067 feet (325 m), Rose Ledges 1,080 feet (330 m), and Hermit Mountain (the high point). A pumped-storage hydroelectric plant and reservoir occupies the top of the mountain west of the summit. The 114-mile (183 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail crosses the summit ridge of Northfield Mountain; a series of shorter hiking trails, cross country ski trails, a cross-country running course, and rock climbing routes are also located on the mountain and its ledges. Northfield Mountain is located at the confluence of the Connecticut River and Millers River. A waterfall, Briggs Brook Falls, plunges from its southeast side.From the Wikipedia article “Northfield Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Northfield Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (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) | 5:13 AM | 57° ENE | 8:32 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:38 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 122° ESE | 4:20 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 03m |
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 | 6:47 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 6:19 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:35 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 22m |
| 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 | 5:26 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:27 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 | 7:42 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:37 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:12 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:24 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:50 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 Northfield Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:31 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:23 AM – 4:23 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:34 AM – 3:24 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:45 PM – 2:55 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:34 PM – 1:34 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:31 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:38 PM – 9:28 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 ≈ 20.57 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
- 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.
- 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 Northfield Mountain, closest first.
State Park
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Fire LookoutWaterfallState Park
State Park
Covered Bridge
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Northfield Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Northfield Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Northfield Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Northfield Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Northfield Mountain?
How far is Northfield Mountain from Erving?
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.