Mount Hight — a mountain peak in Coos County, New Hampshire at about 1,415 m (4,642 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Gorham, about 12.5 km (7.8 mi) away (Mount Hight lies S of town).
Mount Hight is a mountain located in Coos County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Carter-Moriah Range of the White Mountains, which runs along the eastern-northeastern side of Pinkham Notch. Mount Hight is flanked on the north by South Carter Mountain across Zeta Pass, and on the southwest by Carter Dome. Although well over 4,000 feet (1,200 m) in height, the Appalachian Mountain Club does not consider Hight a "four-thousand footer" because the col on the ridge from Carter Dome only descends 125 ft (38 m), making it a secondary summit of that peak. The balding summit of Mount Hight has the broadest views of any summit of the Carter-Moriah Range. Conversely, Carter Dome, the highest peak in the range, is wooded and has only limited views.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Hight”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Hight 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) | 6:49 AM | 90° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:02 AM | 55° NE | 8:33 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:32 AM | 89° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:18 AM | 123° ESE | 4:09 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 | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:33 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:36 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:20 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:29 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 4:45 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 4:24 AM | 5:01 AM | 5:45 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:08 PM | 15h 30m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:15 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:17 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:23 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 5:55 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:26 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:31 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:39 AM | 5:23 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:31 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:51 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 6:41 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:19 PM | 4:07 PM | 4:40 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 Hight, 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 | 4:38 AM – 5:18 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:35 AM – 4:05 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:41 AM – 3:11 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:58 PM – 2:28 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:43 PM – 1:13 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:44 PM – 11:14 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:37 PM – 9:07 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 ≈ 21.67 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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Hight, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Dolly Copp Picnic Pavilion6.6 km (4.1 mi) · reservable
- Dolly Copp7.5 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
- Barnes Field Campground8.0 km (5.0 mi) · reservable
- Black Mountain Cabin8.7 km (5.4 mi) · reservable
- Wild River Campground9.0 km (5.6 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Hight?
What time is golden hour at Mount Hight?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Hight?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Hight?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Hight?
How far is Mount Hight from Gorham?
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.