Located in Grafton County, New Hampshire, Mount Cardigan is a mountain peak at about 956 m (3,136 ft) above sea level. It is part of Cardigan Mountain State Park. It sits roughly 10.4 km (6.5 mi) NNE of Grafton.
Mount Cardigan is a prominent bare-rock summit in the towns of Orange and Alexandria in western New Hampshire, United States. While its peak is only 3,155 feet (962 m) above sea level, it has extensive areas of bare granite ledges and alpine scrub, giving it the feel to hikers of a much higher mountain. Most of the summit area was denuded by devastating forest fires in 1855. The Civilian Conservation Corps helped develop the alpine ski trail network, still used today on the mountain's east side. The mountain is in the 5,655-acre (22.88 km2) Cardigan Mountain State Park. The Cardigan Lodge, operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club since 1934, is located to the east at the foot of the mountain and is often used as a base for day hikes in and around the mountain. Many schools from around New England have overnight field trips to the mountain during the autumn and spring.. The mountain...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Cardigan”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Cardigan 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) | 6:52 AM | 90° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 56° NE | 8:33 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:35 AM | 89° E | 6:47 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:19 AM | 123° ESE | 4:14 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 | 6:47 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:44 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 4:50 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:30 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:50 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 4:46 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:03 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:22 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:24 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:22 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:35 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:12 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:26 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:24 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:25 PM | 4:12 PM | 4:45 PM | 8h 57m |
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 Cardigan, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:40 AM – 5:20 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:36 AM – 4:16 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:40 AM – 3:10 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:55 PM – 2:35 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:42 PM – 1:22 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:45 PM – 11:15 PM | 1.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:19 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.39 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Cardigan, closest first.
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Covered BridgeWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Cardigan?
What time is golden hour at Mount Cardigan?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Cardigan?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Cardigan?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Cardigan?
How far is Mount Cardigan from Grafton?
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.