Located in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Pack Monadnock is a mountain peak at about 695 m (2,280 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 5.4 km (3.4 mi) NNW of Temple.
Pack Monadnock or Pack Monadnock Mountain 2,290 feet (700 m), is the highest peak of the Wapack Range of mountains and the highest point in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. The mountain, a monadnock, is located in south-central New Hampshire within the towns of Peterborough and Temple. The 22 mi (35 km) Wapack Trail and a number of shorter trails traverse the mountain. A firetower and ledges on the summit offer long views north to the White Mountains, west to Mount Monadnock, and south into Massachusetts. North Pack Monadnock Mountain is located directly to the north along the Wapack ridgeline; Temple Mountain to the south. Much of the mountain is located within Miller State Park. A seasonal automobile road ascends from the south to a picnic area at the summit. The summit also has a staffed air-pollution monitoring station. The east side of the mountain drains into the Souhegan...From the Wikipedia article “Pack Monadnock”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pack Monadnock the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) 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 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:52 AM | 90° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:10 AM | 56° ENE | 8:30 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 21m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:35 AM | 89° E | 6:47 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:16 AM | 122° ESE | 4:17 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 01m |
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 | 8:00 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 22m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:26 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:30 PM | 7:59 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:36 PM | 14h 38m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 19m |
| July | 4:49 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:59 PM | 15h 02m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:12 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 57m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:28 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:35 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:10 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:23 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 45m |
| December | 6:40 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:58 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:47 PM | 9h 03m |
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 Pack Monadnock, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 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 | 4:29 AM – 5:19 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:32 AM – 4:22 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:33 AM – 3:23 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:45 PM – 2:45 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:34 PM – 1:24 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:40 PM – 11:30 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:36 PM – 9:26 PM | 0.8 | 15° | 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 ≈ 20.49 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 May as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 64 | 65 | 75 | 86 | 89 | 93 | 98 | 100 | 97 | 86 | 72 | 67 |
| Low °F | -12 | -15 | -3 | 18 | 31 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 41 | 22 | 10 | -4 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 |
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 Pack Monadnock, closest first.
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
Covered Bridge
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
State Park
LakeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pack Monadnock?
What time is golden hour at Pack Monadnock?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pack Monadnock?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pack Monadnock?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pack Monadnock?
How far is Pack Monadnock from Temple?
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.