Balsam Mountain — a mountain peak in Ulster County, New York at about 1,098 m (3,602 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 26 km (16 mi) WNW of Shokan.
Balsam Mountain is one of the High Peaks of the Catskill Mountains in the U.S. state of New York. Its exact height has not been determined, so the highest contour line, 3,600 feet (1,100 m), is usually given as its elevation. It is located in western Ulster County, on the divide between the Hudson and Delaware watersheds. The summit and western slopes of the peak are within the Town of Hardenburgh and its eastern slopes are in Shandaken. The small community of Oliverea is near its base on that side. Most of the mountain is publicly owned, managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as part of the state Forest Preserve, part of the Big Indian-Beaverkill Range Wilderness Area in the Catskill Park. The summit is on a small corner of private land.From the Wikipedia article “Balsam Mountain (Ulster County, New York)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Balsam Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (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) | 7:02 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:23 AM | 57° ENE | 8:38 PM | 303° WNW | 71° | 15h 15m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 122° ESE | 4:30 PM | 239° WSW | 24° | 9h 06m |
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 | 6:54 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 14m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 57m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:31 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 08m |
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 Balsam Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:38 AM – 5:28 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:30 AM – 4:30 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:39 AM – 3:39 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:48 PM – 3:08 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:38 PM – 1:48 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:47 PM – 11:47 PM | 2.0 | 18° | S → SW |
| September | 8:45 PM – 9:45 PM | 1.0 | 15° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 20.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 53% 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 | 61 | 70 | 72 | 83 | 86 | 88 | 92 | 95 | 91 | 83 | 71 | 66 |
| Low °F | -21 | -17 | -16 | 9 | 26 | 34 | 44 | 44 | 32 | 17 | -3 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.8 |
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.
- 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 Balsam Mountain, closest first.
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Covered Bridge
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain PassFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Balsam Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Balsam Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Balsam Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Balsam Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Balsam Mountain?
How far is Balsam Mountain from Shokan?
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.