Punkatasset Hill — a mountain peak in Middlesex County, Massachusetts at about 93 m (305 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 2.4 km (1.5 mi) N of Concord.
Punkatasset Hill is a hill in Concord, Massachusetts, in the United States. At 289 feet (88 m), it is one of the highest points in the town. The hill was formerly called Broad-topped Hill by the native Indians and was cultivated and farmed from the 17th century on. It was used as a vantage point by Concord Minutemen during the Battles of Lexington and Concord, in 1775. In the late 19th century, on clear days, Boston, Mount Wachusett, and Mount Monadnock were visible from the summit. In the early 20th century, Punkatasset Hill had Concord's only ski slope. There was never a ski lift, but ski jumping contests were held there in the 1930s. Today the slope is cleared, but not used for skiing. In 1971 the land ceased to be private property, when it was sold to the town and designated as conservation land. Today, Punkatasset Hill and the adjacent Estabrook Woods are popular hiking and...From the Wikipedia article “Punkatasset Hill”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Punkatasset Hill 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° (WNW) 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) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:09 AM | 57° ENE | 8:27 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 18m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:33 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:12 AM | 122° ESE | 4:16 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 04m |
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 | 6:42 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:57 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 25m |
| February | 6:14 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:30 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:36 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 4:52 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:33 PM | 14h 36m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:51 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 17m |
| July | 4:48 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:55 PM | 15h 00m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 55m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:25 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:33 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:19 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 6:37 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:46 PM | 9h 05m |
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 Punkatasset Hill, 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 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:26 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:18 AM – 4:18 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:29 AM – 3:19 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:40 PM – 2:50 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:29 PM – 1:29 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:36 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 9:23 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.62 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 May as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 65 | 75 | 86 | 89 | 93 | 98 | 100 | 97 | 86 | 72 | 67 |
| Low °F | -12 | -15 | -3 | 18 | 31 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 41 | 22 | 10 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Punkatasset Hill, closest first.
Lake
Lake
Lake
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge
Botanical Garden
State Park
Botanical GardenFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Punkatasset Hill?
What time is golden hour at Punkatasset Hill?
Where does the sun rise and set at Punkatasset Hill?
Can you see the Milky Way from Punkatasset Hill?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Punkatasset Hill?
How far is Punkatasset Hill from Concord?
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.