Big Mountain is a mountain peak in Franklin County, Pennsylvania at about 740 m (2,428 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is McConnellsburg, about 5.7 km (3.5 mi) away (Big Mountain lies ENE of town).
Big Mountain is the high point on the Tuscarora Mountain ridge in south central Pennsylvania in the United States. The 2,458-foot (749 m) summit is located in the Buchanan State Forest and offers fine view. Tuscarora Formation quartzite of the Silurian Age underlies the summit; it is this weather resistant rock which gives Big Mountain its high prominence. Big Mountain has the largest vertical rise in state, with over an 1800' difference between summit and the creek valley below on the east side of the mountain. Big Mountain and the rest of the Tuscarora Ridge has abundant wildlife. Black bear, white-tailed deer, a variety of bird species and its most notorious resident the timber rattlesnake can be found while hiking on the ridge. The Tuscarora Trail passes along the ridge and over the summit, the nearby Cowans Gap State Park offers a variety of campsites, swimming, boating and...From the Wikipedia article “Big Mountain (Pennsylvania)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Big Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:16 AM | 90° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:44 AM | 58° ENE | 8:45 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:31 AM | 121° ESE | 4:51 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 20m |
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 | 7:03 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:14 AM | 4:30 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 39m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 6:57 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:27 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 59m |
| July | 5:24 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:36 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 44m |
| August | 5:55 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:50 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:34 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:17 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 21m |
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 Big Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:19 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:29 AM – 5:49 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 4:47 AM | 2.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:31 AM – 4:01 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:46 PM – 3:36 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:38 PM – 2:08 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:52 PM – 12:12 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:55 PM – 10:05 PM | 1.2 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:04 PM – 8:14 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.27 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ 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 (66%). 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 | 68 | 76 | 78 | 89 | 91 | 98 | 103 | 100 | 98 | 95 | 78 | 72 |
| Low °F | -3 | -10 | -5 | 22 | 29 | 42 | 52 | 52 | 40 | 25 | 15 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
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.
- 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 Big Mountain, closest first.
State Park
Mountain Peak
State Park
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Big Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Big Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Big Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Big Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Big Mountain?
How far is Big Mountain from McConnellsburg?
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.