Sidneys Knob — a mountain peak in Fulton County, Pennsylvania at about 634 m (2,080 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is McConnellsburg, about 16.4 km (10.2 mi) away (Sidneys Knob lies NNE of town).
Sidneys Knob appears to be an atypical mountain for Pennsylvania when viewed from the northeast. Most of the mountains in the Commonwealth are long linear ridges or flatted topped plateau mountains. Sidneys Knob is part of a bifurcated ridgeline as seen in the topographic map below. The mountain is seen on postcards, mainly viewed from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, as vehicles exit west out of the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel northeast of the peak. Sometimes referred to as "Pyramid Point" or on early postcards as Henry's Knob, this landmark is one of the most noted on the turnpike.From the Wikipedia article “Sidneys Knob”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sidneys 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 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 | 4:50 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 19m |
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 | 4:29 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 38m |
| 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 | 6:06 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:18 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:27 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:51 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 5:10 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 00m |
| July | 5:24 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:36 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 45m |
| 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 | 7:49 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:33 PM | 7:01 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:38 AM | 4:16 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 | 5:18 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 Sidneys 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 | — | -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 ≈ 21.33 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 65 | 73 | 78 | 87 | 92 | 95 | 101 | 100 | 96 | 92 | 77 | 72 |
| Low °F | -10 | -14 | -1 | 20 | 27 | 39 | 49 | 48 | 36 | 21 | 5 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
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.
- 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 Sidneys Knob, closest first.
State Park
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Covered Bridge
Mountain Peak
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sidneys Knob?
What time is golden hour at Sidneys Knob?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sidneys Knob?
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Do you need a permit to photograph at Sidneys Knob?
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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.