Esther Mountain is a mountain peak in Essex County, New York at about 1,293 m (4,242 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 14.0 km (8.7 mi) NNE of Lake Placid.
Esther Mountain is a mountain in the Adirondacks in the U.S. state of New York. It is the 28th-highest of the Adirondack High Peaks, with an elevation of 4,240 feet (1,290 m). The mountain is located in the Wilmington Wild Forest in the town of Wilmington in Essex County. It is adjacent to Whiteface Mountain and is the northernmost of the High Peaks.From the Wikipedia article “Esther Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Esther Mountain 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) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:12 AM | 55° NE | 8:44 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:43 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:29 AM | 123° ESE | 4:20 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 50m |
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 | 6:57 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:15 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 13m |
| February | 6:27 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:23 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:10 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 4:56 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 4:35 AM | 5:11 AM | 5:56 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 31m |
| July | 4:51 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 13m |
| August | 5:28 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:06 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:13 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:36 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:13 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:51 PM | 8h 52m |
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 Esther Mountain, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:49 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:47 AM – 4:17 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:53 AM – 3:13 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:11 PM – 2:41 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:57 PM – 1:17 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:57 PM – 11:17 PM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:48 PM – 9:18 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.73 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 (80%). 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 | 55 | 63 | 74 | 79 | 86 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 91 | 79 | 70 | 60 |
| Low °F | -29 | -27 | -18 | 8 | 27 | 36 | 43 | 45 | 32 | 23 | -7 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Esther Mountain, closest first.
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Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Esther Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Esther Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Esther Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Esther Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Esther Mountain?
How far is Esther Mountain from Lake Placid?
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.