Located in Greene County, New York, Hunter Mountain is a mountain peak at about 1,233 m (4,045 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 17.3 km (10.7 mi) W of Palenville.
Hunter Mountain is in the towns of Hunter and Lexington, just south of the village of Hunter, in Greene County, New York, United States. At approximately 4,040 feet (1,231 m) in elevation, it is the highest peak in the county and the second-highest peak in the Catskill Mountains. While the mountain is closely associated with the eponymous ski area built around the Colonel's Chair ridge at the mountain's northwest corner, that takes up only a small portion of the mountain. The actual summit, some distance from the ski area, is graced with a fire lookout tower, the highest in the state and second-highest in the Northeast. The former road to it is open to hikers, horses (and possibly mountain bikers in the future). It is the most popular route to the mountain's summit.From the Wikipedia article “Hunter Mountain (New York)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hunter 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 304° (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) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 57° ENE | 8:37 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 16m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:23 AM | 122° ESE | 4:29 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 | 6:53 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:07 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 26m |
| February | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:58 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:42 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:05 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 4:46 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 15m |
| July | 5:01 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 58m |
| August | 5:35 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:21 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:10 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:32 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:30 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 07m |
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 Hunter Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.2 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 | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:37 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:30 AM – 4:30 AM | 2.0 | 18° | SE → S |
| May | 12:39 AM – 3:29 AM | 2.8 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:49 PM – 2:59 AM | 4.2 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 1:39 AM | 3.0 | 19° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:47 PM – 11:37 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:34 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.92 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 Hunter Mountain, closest first.
Fire Lookout
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Lake
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
WaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hunter Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Hunter Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hunter Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hunter Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hunter Mountain?
How far is Hunter Mountain from Palenville?
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.