Mount Raimer is a mountain peak in Rensselaer County, New York at about 784 m (2,572 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 6.5 km (4.0 mi) W of Williamstown.
Mount Raimer, 2,572 feet (784 m), is a prominent peak in the Taconic Mountains of western Massachusetts and adjacent New York. The west side and summit are located in New York; the east slopes lie within Massachusetts. The summit ridge is part meadow and part wooded with red spruce, balsam fir, and northern hardwood tree species. It is notable for its views of the Hoosic River valley and Hudson River Valley. The 35 mi (56 km) Taconic Crest Trail traverses the mountain. Much of the upper slopes and summit are within protected conservation land. The mountain is the location of a defunct ski area.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Raimer”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Raimer the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (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) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:16 AM | 56° ENE | 8:35 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 20m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 122° ESE | 4:23 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 02m |
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 | 8:06 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 23m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:22 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 23m |
| May | 4:59 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 4:40 AM | 5:15 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:29 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:12 PM | 6:41 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:28 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 46m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:35 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 04m |
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 Mount Raimer, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:37 AM – 4:27 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:38 AM – 3:28 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:50 PM – 2:50 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 1:29 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:45 PM – 11:35 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 9:31 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.61 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 51% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 73 | 87 | 91 | 93 | 100 | 98 | 93 | 86 | 74 | 68 |
| Low °F | -24 | -18 | -15 | 12 | 27 | 34 | 46 | 46 | 34 | 18 | 3 | -7 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 3.9 |
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.
- 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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Raimer, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain Peak
Lake
Fire Lookout
State Park
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Raimer?
What time is golden hour at Mount Raimer?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Raimer?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Raimer?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Raimer?
How far is Mount Raimer from Williamstown?
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.