Mount Sherrill is a mountain peak in Greene County, New York at about 1,082 m (3,550 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Woodstock, about 26 km (16 mi) away (Mount Sherrill lies NW of town).
Mount Sherrill is a mountain located in Greene County, New York, and is named after Eliakim Sherrill, and is part of the Catskill Mountains. Mount Sherrill is flanked to the east by North Dome, and to the west by Balsam Mountain. Mount Sherrill stands within the watershed of the Hudson River, which drains into New York Bay. The northern slopes of Mt. Sherrill drain via Bennett Brook and Newton Brook into the West Kill, then into Schoharie Creek, the Mohawk River, and, finally, the Hudson River. The west side of Mt. Sherrill drains into Bushnellsville Creek, thence into Esopus Creek, and the Hudson River. The southeast side of Mt. Sherrill drains through Peck Hollow into Esopus Creek. Mount Sherrill is contained within the Westkill Mountain Wilderness Area of New York's Catskill State Park. There is no hiking trail over the mountain, although an extension of the Devil's Path west from...From the Wikipedia article “Mount Sherrill”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Sherrill 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) | 7:02 AM | 90° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 57° ENE | 8:38 PM | 304° WNW | 71° | 15h 16m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:45 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 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 | 8:08 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 26m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:30 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 35m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:48 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:05 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:44 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 15m |
| July | 5:02 AM | 5:35 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 58m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:00 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 | 7:11 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:45 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:30 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:27 PM | 4:59 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 Mount Sherrill, 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 ≈ 20.98 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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Sherrill, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Sherrill?
What time is golden hour at Mount Sherrill?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Sherrill?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Sherrill?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Sherrill?
How far is Mount Sherrill from Woodstock?
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.