Shining Rock is a mountain peak in Haywood County, North Carolina at about 1,821 m (5,974 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Hazelwood, about 17.0 km (10.6 mi) away (Shining Rock lies SE of town).
Shining Rock is a mountain in western North Carolina, United States. The mountain is one of the Great Balsam Mountains which are a part of the Blue Ridge Mountains within the Appalachian Mountains. It is the 38th tallest mountain in the eastern United States. Shining Rock is in the Shining Rock Wilderness near milepost 420 of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Art Loeb Trail passes just below the summit. Shining Rock is named for the large white quartzite rock outcropping near its summit.From the Wikipedia article “Shining Rock”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Shining Rock 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) | 7:36 AM | 90° E | 7:43 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:18 AM | 60° ENE | 8:50 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:20 AM | 89° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:37 AM | 119° ESE | 5:23 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 | 5:04 PM | 5:42 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 02m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:54 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 55m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:17 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:05 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 05m |
| May | 6:00 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:29 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 01m |
| June | 5:47 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:54 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:19 PM | 14h 32m |
| July | 5:59 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:05 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 19m |
| August | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:49 PM | 13h 30m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:49 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:13 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:13 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 19m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:44 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 19m |
| December | 7:06 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:49 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 Shining Rock, 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 | 5:19 AM – 5:49 AM | 0.5 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:23 AM – 6:13 AM | 1.8 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:23 AM – 5:23 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 12:28 AM – 4:38 AM | 4.2 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:35 PM – 4:25 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:31 PM – 3:01 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 12:54 AM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 10:55 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:22 PM – 9:02 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 ≈ 21.4 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
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Shining Rock, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Wilderness Area
Mountain PeakMountain Peak
WaterfallWaterfallWaterfall
Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Sunburst 7.2 km (4.5 mi) · reservable
- Pink Beds Picnic Shelter7.8 km (4.9 mi) · reservable
- Cove Creek Upper Group Camp8.7 km (5.4 mi) · reservable
- Cove Creek Lower Group Camp8.7 km (5.4 mi) · reservable
- Mount Pisgah Campground10.3 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Shining Rock?
What time is golden hour at Shining Rock?
Where does the sun rise and set at Shining Rock?
Can you see the Milky Way from Shining Rock?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Shining Rock?
How far is Shining Rock 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.