Mount Hale is a mountain peak in Grafton County, New Hampshire at about 1,234 m (4,049 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 8.4 km (5.2 mi) E of Deerfield.
Mount Hale is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is named after Reverend Edward Everett Hale (1822–1909), and is part of the Twin Range of the White Mountains. The western and eastern sides of Mount Hale are drained by the Little River and Zealand River respectively, and thence into the Ammonoosuc River, Connecticut River, and into Long Island Sound in Connecticut. A major hiking trail over its peak leads to the Zealand Falls Hut, which is 2.8 miles (4.5 km) away.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Hale (New Hampshire)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Hale the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° 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) | 5:03 AM | 55° NE | 8:34 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:19 AM | 123° ESE | 4:11 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 51m |
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 | 8:05 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:45 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:31 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:14 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:33 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:20 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:24 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 4:26 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:47 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 30m |
| July | 4:42 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:03 PM | 15h 11m |
| August | 5:19 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:24 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 5:57 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:28 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:24 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:33 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:26 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:52 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:09 PM | 4:42 PM | 8h 53m |
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 Hale, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:39 AM – 5:19 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:36 AM – 4:06 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:42 AM – 3:12 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:59 PM – 2:29 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:44 PM – 1:14 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:45 PM – 11:15 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:38 PM – 9:08 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.52 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 56% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 89 | 92 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 55 |
| Low °F | -27 | -32 | -21 | 7 | 24 | 33 | 43 | 41 | 28 | 20 | -4 | -22 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
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
- 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 Hale, closest first.
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Sugarloaf 2 Campground4.1 km (2.5 mi) · reservable
- Sugarloaf 1 Campground4.3 km (2.7 mi) · reservable
- Hancock Campground (Nh)18.8 km (11.7 mi) · reservable
- Big Rock19.6 km (12.2 mi) · reservable
- Russell Pond Campground26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Hale?
What time is golden hour at Mount Hale?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Hale?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Hale?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Hale?
How far is Mount Hale from Deerfield?
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.