Bear Mountain — a mountain peak in Orange County, New York at about 394 m (1,293 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Bear Mountain State Park. It sits roughly 2.5 km (1.6 mi) SW of Fort Montgomery.
Bear Mountain is one of the best-known peaks of New York's Hudson Highlands. Located partially in Orange County in the town of Highlands and partially in Rockland County in the town of Stony Point, it lends its name to the nearby Bear Mountain Bridge and Bear Mountain State Park that contains it. Its summit, accessible by a paved road, has several roadside viewpoints, a picnic area and an observatory, the Perkins Memorial Tower. It is crossed by several hiking trails as well, including the oldest section of the Appalachian Trail (AT). As of 2021, the AT across Bear Mountain has been improved by the New York–New Jersey Trail Conference to minimize erosion and improve accessibility and sustainability as part of a project to rebuild and realign the trail that began in 2006. The Trailside Museum and Zoo located at the base of Bear Mountain is the lowest point on the Appalachian Trail...From the Wikipedia article “Bear Mountain (Hudson Highlands)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bear 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 | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 57° ENE | 8:33 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:19 AM | 121° ESE | 4:30 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 11m |
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 | 7:20 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 31m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:59 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 | 5:49 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:54 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:07 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 30m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 09m |
| July | 5:04 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 52m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:14 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 | 6:17 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:26 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 53m |
| December | 6:44 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:00 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 Bear 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:13 AM – 5:13 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:25 AM – 5:35 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:25 AM – 4:35 AM | 2.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:22 AM – 3:42 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:40 PM – 3:10 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:30 PM – 1:50 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:41 PM – 11:41 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 9:41 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:48 PM – 7:48 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 ≈ 19.13 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
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Bear Mountain, closest first.
State Park
Ghost Town
Waterfall
State Park
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State ParkWaterfall
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bear Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Bear Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bear Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bear Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bear Mountain?
How far is Bear Mountain from Fort Montgomery?
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.