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Mountain Peaks in Pennsylvania

24 mountain peaks in Pennsylvania with photography planning data — sunrise and sunset azimuths, golden hour by month, Milky Way windows and estimated sky darkness. Franklin County has the most (4). The darkest skies are at Mount Davis (Bortle 3).

Top mountain peaks

Little Round TopMountain Peak
Little Round TopAdams County · 200 m
Mount DavisMountain Peak
Mount DavisSomerset County · 978 m
Mount MinsiMountain Peak
Mount MinsiMonroe County · 443 m
Big MountainMountain Peak
Big MountainFranklin County · 740 m
Miller MountainMountain Peak
Miller MountainWyoming County · 670 m
Cemetery HillMountain Peak
Cemetery HillAdams County · 184 m
Camelback MountainMountain Peak
Camelback MountainMonroe County · 647 m
Catawissa MountainMountain Peak
Catawissa MountainColumbia County · 571 m
McCauley MountainMountain Peak
McCauley MountainColumbia County · 478 m
Buck MountainMountain Peak
Buck MountainLuzerne County · 592 m
Mount AraratMountain Peak
Mount AraratWayne County · 803 m
Sidneys KnobMountain Peak
Sidneys KnobFulton County · 634 m

Mountain Peaks by county

All mountain peaks (24)

NameCountyElevationNearest townSky
Little Round TopGettysburgAdams County200 mGettysburg5
Mount DavisSomerset County978 mMeyersdale3
Mount MinsiMonroe County443 mEast Stroudsburg5
Big MountainFranklin County740 mMcConnellsburg3
Miller MountainWyoming County670 mTunkhannock4
Cemetery HillGettysburgAdams County184 mGettysburg5
Camelback MountainMonroe County647 mTannersville5
Catawissa MountainColumbia County571 mAlmedia4
McCauley MountainColumbia County478 mMifflinville4
Buck MountainLuzerne County592 mNescopeck4
Mount AraratWayne County803 mForest City4
Sidneys KnobFulton County634 mMcConnellsburg3
Red Rock MountainSullivan County722 mGlen Lyon4
Ritchey KnobBlair County872 mClaysburg3
Blue KnobBedford County953 mClaysburg3
Butler KnobHuntingdon County708 mMount Union3
Osterhout MountainWyoming County579 mTunkhannock4
Parnell KnobFranklin County614 mMercersburg4
Pine KnobBlair County823 mClaysburg3
Clarks KnobFranklin County709 mChambersburg4
Cross MountainFranklin County627 mMercersburg4
Schaefer HeadBlair County900 mClaysburg3
Central MountainColumbia County683 mGlen Lyon4
Forkston MountainWyoming County714 mTunkhannock4

Sky = estimated Bortle class (1 darkest – 9 brightest).

Map

How to photograph mountain peaks

Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.

  • 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.
  • Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.

Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.