Mount Sunapee — a mountain peak in Merrimack County, New Hampshire at about 824 m (2,703 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Newbury, about 3.2 km (2.0 mi) away (Mount Sunapee lies WSW of town).
Mount Sunapee (or Sunapee Mountain on federal maps) is a 5-mile-long (8.0 km) mountain ridge in the towns of Newbury and Goshen in western New Hampshire, United States. Its highest peak, at the north end of the mountain, is 2,726 feet (831 m) above sea level. The mountain has three secondary peaks, White Ledges at 2,716 ft (828 m); North Peak at 2,280 ft (695 m); and South Peak at 2,608 ft (795 m). The north end of the mountain, including the summit, is within Mount Sunapee State Park, which encompasses 3.85 square miles (10.0 km2) and is home to the popular Mount Sunapee Resort. The mountain extends south to Pillsbury State Park in the towns of Goshen and Washington.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Sunapee”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Sunapee the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (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) | 6:53 AM | 90° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:09 AM | 56° NE | 8:33 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 24m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:36 AM | 89° E | 6:48 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:18 AM | 122° ESE | 4:16 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 58m |
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 | 7:18 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 20m |
| February | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 4:52 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:39 PM | 14h 41m |
| June | 4:33 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 23m |
| July | 4:48 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 05m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 59m |
| September | 6:00 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 43m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:47 PM | 9h 00m |
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 Sunapee, 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), 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 | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:30 AM – 5:20 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:34 AM – 4:14 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:37 AM – 3:17 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:50 PM – 2:40 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:38 PM – 1:28 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:42 PM – 11:22 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:37 PM – 9:17 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.07 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 68 | 72 | 82 | 84 | 96 | 96 | 92 | 89 | 78 | 69 | 65 |
| Low °F | -30 | -23 | -21 | 8 | 24 | 34 | 44 | 42 | 30 | 18 | 1 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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.
- 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 Sunapee, closest first.
Lake
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
Lake
Lighthouse
State ParkLighthouse
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Sunapee?
What time is golden hour at Mount Sunapee?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Sunapee?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Sunapee?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Sunapee?
How far is Mount Sunapee from Newbury?
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.