Mount Rowe is a mountain peak in Belknap County, New Hampshire at about 508 m (1,667 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 2.3 km (1.4 mi) E of Gilford.
Mount Rowe, elevation 1,680 feet (510 m), is a mountain located north of Gunstock Mountain in the Belknap Range, Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. It has been home to multiple alpine ski operations, including the original Gunstock Mountain Resort single chairlift (now removed), the Belknap Ski Jumps, and the defunct Alpine Ridge/Mt. Rowe ski area.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Rowe”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Rowe 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 | 4:12 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 | 7:23 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 | 7:13 AM | 7:59 AM | 3:24 PM | 4:10 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 Mount Rowe, 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 ≈ 19.83 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
- 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.
- 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 Rowe, closest first.
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State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Rowe?
What time is golden hour at Mount Rowe?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Rowe?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Rowe?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Rowe?
How far is Mount Rowe 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.