Beacon Mountain — a mountain peak in Dutchess County, New York at about 465 m (1,526 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Beacon, about 3.3 km (2.1 mi) away (Beacon Mountain lies SE of town).
Beacon Mountain, locally Mount Beacon, is the highest peak of Hudson Highlands, located south of City of Beacon, New York, in the Town of Fishkill. Its two summits rise above the Hudson River behind the city and can easily be seen from Newburgh across the river and many other places in the region. The more accessible northern peak, at 1,516 feet (462 m) above sea level, has a complex of radio antennas on its summit; the 1,595 feet (486 m) southern summit has a fire lookout tower, which was built in 1931. Beacon Reservoir, the city's main water source, is located between North Beacon and neighboring Scofield Ridge, the highest peak in Putnam County. Since much of the land on the mountains and up to the county line is owned by the city to protect the watershed, an extensive system of roads and trails makes it a popular hiking area. Both summits afford extensive views of the mid-Hudson...From the Wikipedia article “Beacon Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Beacon 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) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:23 AM | 57° ENE | 8:34 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 121° ESE | 4:30 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 10m |
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 | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 30m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 31m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 10m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 53m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:40 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:16 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 52m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 12m |
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 Beacon 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 6 (bright 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:25 AM – 5:25 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:26 AM – 4:26 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:24 AM – 3:34 AM | 3.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:42 PM – 3:12 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 1:42 AM | 3.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 11:43 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:42 PM – 9:42 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:49 PM – 7:49 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: 6 Bortle 6 — Bright suburban sky. The Milky Way is only visible near the zenith; the sky glows grey-orange in photos. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.05 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 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (65%). 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 | 66 | 70 | 73 | 91 | 87 | 95 | 101 | 102 | 96 | 88 | 76 | 69 |
| Low °F | -16 | -15 | -8 | 18 | 30 | 38 | 49 | 50 | 37 | 21 | 6 | -2 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Beacon Mountain, closest first.
Fire Lookout
State Park
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
State Park
Waterfall
State Park
State Park
LighthouseFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Beacon Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Beacon Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Beacon Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Beacon Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Beacon Mountain?
How far is Beacon Mountain from Beacon?
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.