Ritchey Knob — a mountain peak in Blair County, Pennsylvania at about 872 m (2,861 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Claysburg, about 7.9 km (4.9 mi) away (Ritchey Knob lies NW of town).
Ritchey Knob is a summit located on the Blue Knob massif. This mountain is connected to Pine Knob and forms the northernmost summits of the massif. Ritchey Knob is the fourth highest of this grouping behind Blue Knob 3,136 feet (956 m), Herman Point 3,034 feet (925 m) and Schaefer Head 2,950 feet (899 m). Based on peakery data, it ranks as the 15th highest mountain in Pennsylvania and the 37,188th highest mountain in the United States.From the Wikipedia article “Ritchey Knob”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Ritchey Knob 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 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:18 AM | 90° E | 7:26 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:45 AM | 58° ENE | 8:48 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:02 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 121° ESE | 4:52 PM | 240° WSW | 26° | 9h 17m |
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 | 7:06 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 37m |
| February | 6:41 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 7:00 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:08 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:21 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:28 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 25m |
| June | 5:11 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:19 PM | 15h 02m |
| July | 5:25 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:37 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 46m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 47m |
| September | 6:28 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:52 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:58 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:02 AM | 5:59 PM | 6:36 PM | 7:03 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:18 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 58m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:14 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 19m |
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 Ritchey Knob, 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:31 AM – 5:31 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:42 AM – 5:52 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:40 AM – 4:50 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:35 AM – 4:05 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:50 PM – 3:40 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:42 PM – 2:12 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:55 PM – 12:15 AM | 2.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:57 PM – 10:07 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:06 PM – 8:16 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 ≈ 21.31 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 55% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (79%). 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 | 64 | 70 | 76 | 82 | 91 | 94 | 94 | 95 | 92 | 88 | 74 | 70 |
| Low °F | -11 | -12 | -1 | 19 | 23 | 37 | 45 | 46 | 36 | 21 | 9 | 2 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.2 |
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
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Ritchey Knob, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
State Park
Covered Bridge
Scenic Viewpoint
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Ritchey Knob?
What time is golden hour at Ritchey Knob?
Where does the sun rise and set at Ritchey Knob?
Can you see the Milky Way from Ritchey Knob?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Ritchey Knob?
How far is Ritchey Knob from Claysburg?
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.