Pochuck Mountain — a mountain peak in Sussex County, New Jersey at about 361 m (1,184 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 3.3 km (2.1 mi) NW of Vernon Center.
Pochuck Mountain is a ridge in the New York-New Jersey Highlands region of the Appalachian Mountains. Pochuck Mountain's summit and most of its peaks lie within Vernon Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, although the south-western portion of the ridge lies within Hardyston Township, and the north-eastern tip of the ridge extends over the New York state line into Orange County. The ridge marks the eastern edge of the Great Appalachian Valley, and it divides the watersheds of the Wallkill River and its tributary Pochuck Creek. The two rivers meet at Pochuck Neck, marking the terminus of the ridge.From the Wikipedia article “Pochuck Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pochuck Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:02 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:26 AM | 57° ENE | 8:35 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 09m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 121° ESE | 4:33 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 12m |
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 | 6:52 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:05 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 32m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:54 PM | 5:32 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:51 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:09 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 29m |
| June | 4:52 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 08m |
| July | 5:06 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 52m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 6:12 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:41 PM | 6:19 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 53m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:02 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 13m |
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 Pochuck Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:15 AM – 5:15 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:27 AM – 5:37 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 4:37 AM | 2.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:24 AM – 3:44 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:42 PM – 3:12 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 1:52 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 11:43 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 9:43 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:50 PM – 7:50 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| 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 ≈ 19.53 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 70 | 72 | 90 | 88 | 94 | 99 | 101 | 95 | 88 | 76 | 67 |
| Low °F | -14 | -19 | -8 | 18 | 28 | 37 | 47 | 48 | 37 | 21 | 5 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Pochuck Mountain, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
Mountain Peak
Lake
Botanical Garden
State Park
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
State Park
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pochuck Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Pochuck Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pochuck Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pochuck Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pochuck Mountain?
How far is Pochuck Mountain from Vernon Center?
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.