Peekamoose Mountain — a mountain peak in Ulster County, New York at about 1,172 m (3,845 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 15.6 km (9.7 mi) W of Shokan.
Peekamoose Mountain is a mountain located in Ulster County, New York. The mountain is part of the Catskill Mountains. Peekamoose Mountain is flanked to the north by Table Mountain. The name Peekamoose is possibly an anglicization of an Algonquin word meaning 'broken off smooth', cf. Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain. Peekamoose Mountain stands within the watershed of Rondout Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River, which drains into New York Bay. The east and southeast slopes of Peekamoose Mtn. drain into Rondout Creek. The southwest end of Peekamoose drains into Buttermilk Falls Brook, thence into Rondout Creek. The west side of Peekamoose drains into Bear Hole Brook, thence into Rondout Creek. Peekamoose Mountain is within the Slide Mountain Wilderness of New York's Catskill State Park. The Long Path, a 350-mile (560 km) long-distance hiking trail from New York City to Albany, crosses the...From the Wikipedia article “Peekamoose Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Peekamoose 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 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 25° 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) | 5:23 AM | 57° ENE | 8:37 PM | 303° WNW | 71° | 15h 14m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:46 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:23 AM | 122° ESE | 4:30 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 07m |
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 | 4:08 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 28m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:49 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 33m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 13m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 56m |
| August | 5:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 53m |
| 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 | 5:40 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:46 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:30 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 50m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 09m |
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 Peekamoose Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 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 | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:38 AM – 5:28 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:30 AM – 4:30 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:39 AM – 3:39 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:48 PM – 3:08 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:38 PM – 1:48 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:47 PM – 11:47 PM | 2.0 | 18° | S → SW |
| September | 8:45 PM – 9:45 PM | 1.0 | 15° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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 ≈ 20.74 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 72 | 90 | 88 | 94 | 99 | 101 | 95 | 88 | 76 | 67 |
| Low °F | -14 | -19 | -8 | 18 | 28 | 37 | 47 | 48 | 37 | 21 | 5 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 4.1 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Peekamoose Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Lake
Mountain Peak
Covered Bridge
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Peekamoose Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Peekamoose Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Peekamoose Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Peekamoose Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Peekamoose Mountain?
How far is Peekamoose Mountain from Shokan?
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.