Located in Essex County, New York, Panther Peak is a mountain peak at about 1,358 m (4,455 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is North Elba, about 22 km (13 mi) away (Panther Peak lies SW of town).
Panther Peak is a mountain in the Santanoni Range of the Adirondacks in the U.S. state of New York. It is the 18th-highest of the Adirondack High Peaks, with an elevation of 4,714 feet (1,437 m). It is located in the town of Keene in Essex County, inside Adirondack Park. The mountain is named after the panthers which were once native to the region. The name "Panther Peak" was in use by 1840, but originally referred to a different mountain now known as Mount Henderson. By 1904, the name had been transferred to the present Panther Peak. The earliest recorded ascent was also made in 1904 by surveyor Daniel Lynch. The mountain is flanked by two other High Peaks in the Santanoni Range, Couchsachraga Peak and Santanoni Peak.From the Wikipedia article “Panther Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Panther Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (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) | 7:01 AM | 90° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 56° NE | 8:44 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:29 AM | 123° ESE | 4:22 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
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 | 3:58 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:27 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:25 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:44 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 4:58 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:13 AM | 7:35 PM | 8:16 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:37 AM | 5:14 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:13 PM | 15h 11m |
| August | 5:30 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:14 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:43 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:21 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:36 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:32 PM | 5:03 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:13 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:53 PM | 8h 54m |
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 Panther Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:50 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:46 AM – 4:26 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:51 AM – 3:21 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:07 PM – 2:47 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:53 PM – 1:23 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 11:25 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:48 PM – 9:18 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.79 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 55% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (83%). 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 | 57 | 62 | 74 | 79 | 85 | 85 | 88 | 86 | 88 | 78 | 69 | 62 |
| Low °F | -27 | -27 | -20 | 6 | 24 | 33 | 41 | 42 | 28 | 21 | -9 | -23 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 3.1 |
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
- 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 Panther Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Lake
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Ghost Town
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Panther Peak?
What time is golden hour at Panther Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Panther Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Panther Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Panther Peak?
How far is Panther Peak from North Elba?
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.