Pitcher Mountain is a mountain peak in Cheshire County, New Hampshire at about 653 m (2,142 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 16.8 km (10.4 mi) N of Harrisville.
Pitcher Mountain is a 2,153 foot (656 m) monadnock located in southwest New Hampshire. The mountain is traversed by the 50 mile (80 km) Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway and offers 360 degree views from its open summit. Lower elevations are wooded with species of the northern hardwood forest type; small stands of coniferous red spruce cling to the upper slopes. A fire tower stands on the summit and a beef livestock farm occupies the east shoulder of the mountain. Pitcher Mountain is part of an extensive area of heath barrens and blueberry fields that continue north over Hubbard Hill and Jackson Hill. The east and north sides of Pitcher Mountain drain into the Beards Brook watershed, then into the Contoocook River, then the Merrimack River and the Atlantic Ocean. The west and south sides drain into Robinson Brook, thence Otter Brook, "The Branch", the Ashuelot River, then the Connecticut...From the Wikipedia article “Pitcher Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pitcher Mountain 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) | 5:10 AM | 56° NE | 8:32 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 22m |
| 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 | 4:17 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 59m |
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 | 8:02 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 33m |
| March | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:46 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:38 PM | 14h 39m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 21m |
| July | 4:49 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:27 PM | 9:01 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 5:24 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:24 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:01 PM | 7:29 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:25 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:47 PM | 9h 01m |
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 Pitcher Mountain, 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 | 4:30 AM – 5:20 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:34 AM – 4:14 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:36 AM – 3:16 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:48 PM – 2:48 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:37 PM – 1:27 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:42 PM – 11:22 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:38 PM – 9:28 PM | 0.8 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Pitcher Mountain, closest first.
Lake
Lake
Lake
State Park
Waterfall
Lake
Covered Bridge
Lake
Covered BridgeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Otter Brook Lake Recreation Area15.9 km (9.9 mi) · reservable
- Surry Mountain Lake Campground17.8 km (11.0 mi)
- Surry Mountain Lake Beach18.4 km (11.4 mi) · reservable
- Edward Macdowell Lake Day Use Facilities25 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pitcher Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Pitcher Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pitcher Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pitcher Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pitcher Mountain?
How far is Pitcher Mountain from Harrisville?
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.