Mount Craig is a mountain peak in Yancey County, North Carolina at about 2,023 m (6,637 ft) above sea level. It is part of Mount Mitchell State Park. The nearest town is Burnsville, about 16.0 km (9.9 mi) away (Mount Craig lies SSE of town).
Mount Craig, 6,647 feet (2,026 m), is the second highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and second only to 6,684 feet (2,037 m) Mount Mitchell in eastern mainland North America. It is located in the Black Mountains in Yancey County, North Carolina. The mountain lies about a mile (2 km) north of Mount Mitchell and is within Mount Mitchell State Park and the Pisgah National Forest. Mount Craig was named in honor of Locke Craig, the governor of North Carolina from 1913 to 1917, who was partially responsible for establishing Mount Mitchell State Park in 1915 as the state's first in order to protect the area from excessive logging.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Craig (North Carolina)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Craig the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 31° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:34 AM | 90° E | 7:41 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:14 AM | 60° ENE | 8:49 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 35m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:18 AM | 89° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:36 AM | 119° ESE | 5:20 PM | 241° WSW | 31° | 9h 44m |
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 | 7:11 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:39 PM | 6:07 PM | 10h 00m |
| February | 6:51 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:36 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:37 PM | 10h 54m |
| March | 7:15 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:15 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:02 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:31 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 06m |
| May | 5:56 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 03m |
| June | 5:43 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:51 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 34m |
| July | 5:56 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:02 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 21m |
| August | 6:22 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:47 PM | 13h 32m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:04 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:10 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:11 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 17m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:38 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 45m |
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 Craig, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:17 AM – 5:47 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:22 AM – 6:12 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 5:22 AM | 3.0 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:28 AM – 4:38 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:36 PM – 4:16 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:31 PM – 2:51 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 12:54 AM | 3.0 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 9:04 PM – 10:54 PM | 1.8 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:20 PM – 8:50 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.45 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 47% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (60%). 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 | 70 | 72 | 79 | 81 | 88 | 101 | 100 | 98 | 94 | 92 | 80 | 72 |
| Low °F | -2 | -3 | 5 | 21 | 32 | 42 | 49 | 47 | 35 | 24 | 9 | 5 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mount Craig, closest first.
State Park
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
WaterfallMountain Pass
WaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Briar Bottom Group Campground4.6 km (2.8 mi) · reservable
- Black Mountain Campground4.6 km (2.8 mi) · reservable
- Carolina Hemlocks Rec Area6.0 km (3.7 mi) · reservable
- Curtis Creek Campground11.3 km (7.1 mi)
- Curtis Creek Campground (Nc)12.6 km (7.8 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Craig?
What time is golden hour at Mount Craig?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Craig?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Craig?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Craig?
How far is Mount Craig from Burnsville?
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.