The Horn — a mountain peak in Coos County, New Hampshire at about 1,168 m (3,832 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Jefferson, about 12.5 km (7.8 mi) away (The Horn lies NNE of town).
The Horn is a mountain located in Coos County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Pilot Range of the White Mountains. The Horn is flanked to the southwest by the Bulge. The Horn stands within the watershed of the Upper Ammonoosuc River, which drains into the Connecticut River, and thence into Long Island Sound in Connecticut. The south face of the Horn drains into the headwaters of the West Branch of the Upper Ammonoosuc River. The northwest face of the Horn drains north, thence into the West Branch of Mill Brook, and into the Upper Ammonoosuc. Unknown Pond lies to the northeast of the mountain and provides an excellent view of the peak. The open ledges on the summit face west, however, so it is difficult to see the pond from the top of the mountain. Because of The Horn's location in the northern White Mountains and its distance—5 miles (8.0 km)—from the nearest road, it is...From the Wikipedia article “The Horn (New Hampshire)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At The Horn the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:50 AM | 90° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:02 AM | 55° NE | 8:35 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:33 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 123° ESE | 4:09 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 49m |
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 | 7:19 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:04 PM | 9h 12m |
| February | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:34 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:30 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:30 PM | 8:00 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 4:45 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 48m |
| June | 4:24 AM | 5:01 AM | 5:46 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 32m |
| July | 4:40 AM | 5:15 AM | 5:59 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 13m |
| August | 5:17 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 5:56 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:04 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:28 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:23 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:32 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:11 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:27 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:51 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:19 PM | 4:07 PM | 4:41 PM | 8h 51m |
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 The Horn, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:39 AM – 5:19 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:37 AM – 4:07 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:43 AM – 3:03 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:01 PM – 2:31 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:47 PM – 1:07 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:47 PM – 11:07 PM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:38 PM – 9:08 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.69 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 The Horn, closest first.
Covered Bridge
State Park
Covered Bridge
Lake
Covered Bridge
Waterfall
State ParkWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Barnes Field Campground25 km (15 mi) · reservable
- Dolly Copp25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Dolly Copp Picnic Pavilion26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Sugarloaf 1 Campground30 km (19 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph The Horn?
What time is golden hour at The Horn?
Where does the sun rise and set at The Horn?
Can you see the Milky Way from The Horn?
Do you need a permit to photograph at The Horn?
How far is The Horn from Jefferson?
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.