Richland Balsam is a mountain peak in Jackson County, North Carolina at about 1,950 m (6,398 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 11.3 km (7.0 mi) S of Hazelwood.
Richland Balsam is a mountain in the Great Balsam Mountains in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Rising to an elevation of 6,410 feet (1,950 m), it is the highest mountain in the Great Balsam range, is among the 20 highest summits in the Appalachian range, and is the ninth highest peak in the Eastern United States. The Blue Ridge Parkway reaches an elevation of 6,053 feet (1,845 m)—the parkway's highest point—as it passes over Richland Balsam's southwestern slope. The Jackson County-Haywood County line crosses the mountain's summit. Richland Balsam's upper elevations (above approximately 5,500 feet) support part of one of just ten stands of Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest. This forest type consists of two dominant tree types—the red spruce and the Fraser fir—commonly called the "he-balsam" and "she-balsam" respectively, although the latter has been decimated in recent...From the Wikipedia article “Richland Balsam”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Richland Balsam 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 242° (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) | 7:37 AM | 90° E | 7:44 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:18 AM | 60° ENE | 8:51 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:21 AM | 89° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:38 AM | 119° ESE | 5:24 PM | 242° WSW | 31° | 9h 46m |
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 | 7:13 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:19 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 02m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:15 PM | 6:41 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:17 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:05 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:30 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 01m |
| June | 5:47 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 32m |
| July | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 19m |
| August | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 30m |
| September | 6:50 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:13 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:13 AM | 6:24 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:45 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 19m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:14 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 47m |
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 Richland Balsam, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° 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 | 5:20 AM – 5:50 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:24 AM – 6:14 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:24 AM – 5:24 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 12:29 AM – 4:39 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:36 PM – 4:26 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 3:02 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 12:55 AM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 9:06 PM – 10:56 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:23 PM – 9:03 PM | 0.7 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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 ≈ 21.43 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
- 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.
- 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 Richland Balsam, closest first.
Mountain PassMountain Pass
Wilderness AreaMountain Pass
WaterfallMountain Pass
Scenic Viewpoint
Mountain PeakScenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Sunburst 4.5 km (2.8 mi) · reservable
- Balsam Lake Lodge 11.4 km (7.1 mi) · reservable
- Cove Creek Upper Group Camp17.5 km (10.9 mi) · reservable
- Cove Creek Lower Group Camp17.5 km (10.9 mi) · reservable
- Pink Beds Picnic Shelter19.3 km (12.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Richland Balsam?
What time is golden hour at Richland Balsam?
Where does the sun rise and set at Richland Balsam?
Can you see the Milky Way from Richland Balsam?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Richland Balsam?
How far is Richland Balsam from Hazelwood?
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.