Mount Moosilauke — a mountain peak in Grafton County, New Hampshire at about 1,463 m (4,800 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Woodstock, about 12.8 km (8.0 mi) away (Mount Moosilauke lies WNW of town).
Mount Moosilauke is a 4,802-foot-high (1,464 m) mountain at the southwestern end of the White Mountains in the town of Benton, New Hampshire, United States. It is the tenth highest and most southwesterly of the 4,000 foot summits in the White Mountains. Moosilauke is ranked 9th on the New England Fifty Finest peaks, a list of summits with the highest topographic prominence. The Appalachian Trail passes over the mountain. It is sometimes referred to as the "Gentle Giant". The site of down mountain ski races since 1927, the 1933 Moosilauke race was the first U.S. downhill skiing championship sanctioned by the National Ski Association.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Moosilauke”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Moosilauke 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 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° 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) | 5:05 AM | 56° NE | 8:35 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 29m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:35 AM | 89° E | 6:47 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 123° ESE | 4:13 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 53m |
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 | 6:48 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:47 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:35 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:44 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:49 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:28 AM | 5:05 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 4:44 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 5:21 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:22 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:42 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:34 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:12 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:27 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:23 PM | 4:11 PM | 4:44 PM | 8h 55m |
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 Moosilauke, 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 | — | -5° | — |
| 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 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:41 AM – 3:11 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:57 PM – 2:37 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:43 PM – 1:13 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 | — | -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 ≈ 21.6 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
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Moosilauke, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Scenic Viewpoint
Waterfall
Covered BridgeWaterfallWaterfall
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Wildwood6.4 km (4.0 mi) · reservable
- Russell Pond Campground14.7 km (9.1 mi) · reservable
- Hancock Campground (Nh)19.4 km (12.1 mi) · reservable
- Big Rock22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Campton Campground23 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Moosilauke?
What time is golden hour at Mount Moosilauke?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Moosilauke?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Moosilauke?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Moosilauke?
How far is Mount Moosilauke from Woodstock?
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.