Gunstock Mountain — a mountain peak in Belknap County, New Hampshire at about 674 m (2,211 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 3.3 km (2.1 mi) SE of Gilford.
Gunstock Mountain is the second highest peak in the Belknap Mountains of central New Hampshire with an elevation greater than 2240 feet (683 m). It is located 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Belknap Mountain, the highest point in the range. It is home to the Gunstock Mountain Resort ski area. The ski resort has been written up in national ski magazines for its views of Lake Winnipesaukee. Gunstock Mountain stands within the watershed of the Merrimack River, which drains into the Gulf of Maine in Massachusetts. The east side of the mountain, on which the ski resorted is located, drains into Poorfarm Brook, then into Lake Winnipesaukee, the Winnipesaukee River, and the Merrimack. The west side of the mountain drains into the Gunstock River, then into Lake Winnipesaukee.From the Wikipedia article “Gunstock Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Gunstock Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:05 AM | 56° NE | 8:31 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:33 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 123° ESE | 4:13 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 56m |
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 | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:58 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 42m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:48 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 24m |
| July | 4:44 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:25 PM | 9:00 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:22 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 5:57 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:27 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:31 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:33 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:09 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:23 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 42m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:43 PM | 8h 58m |
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 Gunstock Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 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 5 (suburban sky), 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:38 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:33 AM – 4:13 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:36 AM – 3:16 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:50 PM – 2:40 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:38 PM – 1:18 AM | 2.7 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:42 PM – 11:22 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:36 PM – 9:16 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.95 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 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 | 59 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 84 | 94 | 105 | 94 | 93 | 79 | 70 | 62 |
| Low °F | -23 | -23 | -19 | 13 | 28 | 37 | 49 | 44 | 35 | 20 | -3 | -17 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
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 Gunstock Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Peak
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Gunstock Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Gunstock Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Gunstock Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Gunstock Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Gunstock Mountain?
How far is Gunstock Mountain from Gilford?
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.