Pinnacle Mountain is a mountain peak in Pickens County, South Carolina at about 1,041 m (3,415 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Pickens, about 17.0 km (10.6 mi) away (Pinnacle Mountain lies N of town).
Pinnacle Mountain is the tallest mountain contained entirely within the state of South Carolina (the state's highest point, Sassafras Mountain, is partially in North Carolina). It is located within Table Rock State Park in Pickens County, South Carolina. The summit of the mountain is accessible by hiking trails, the shortest of which is 4.2 miles one-way and begins at the Table Rock State Park Nature Center. Pinnacle Mountain is typical of the southern Appalachians. It's mainly an eroded mountain of gentler slopes with a summit completely cloaked, principally in poplar, oaks, and other hardwoods. There is some very steep forest terrain on the eastern side of the peak, Bald Rock, where there are some cliffs and slopes. In the late 1990s, some 600 plus prehistoric petroglyphs were discovered at Pinnacle Mountain. The petroglyphs, believed to be created by the Hopewell culture, pre-date...From the Wikipedia article “Pinnacle Mountain (South Carolina)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pinnacle Mountain 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 32° 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 | 8:49 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:20 AM | 89° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:36 AM | 119° ESE | 5:24 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 48m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:17 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:10 PM | 10h 03m |
| February | 6:52 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:39 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 7:17 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:16 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:04 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:30 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 6:00 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 00m |
| June | 5:48 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:55 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 30m |
| July | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:06 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 17m |
| August | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:48 PM | 13h 29m |
| September | 6:49 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:05 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:23 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:39 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:27 PM | 5:54 PM | 10h 20m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:11 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 49m |
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 Pinnacle Mountain, 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 | 5:09 AM – 5:49 AM | 0.7 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:23 AM – 6:13 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:23 AM – 5:23 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 12:27 AM – 4:47 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:34 PM – 4:24 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:29 PM – 2:59 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 1:04 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 10:55 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:22 PM – 9:02 PM | 0.7 | 16° | 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 ≈ 21.34 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
- 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 Pinnacle Mountain, closest first.
State Park
Mountain Peak
WaterfallWaterfall
Waterfall
WaterfallWaterfall
Waterfall
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Kuykendall Group Camp21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Sycamore Flats Picnic Shelter27 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Davidson River28 km (17 mi) · reservable
- White Pine South Group Camp29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pinnacle Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Pinnacle Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pinnacle Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pinnacle Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pinnacle Mountain?
How far is Pinnacle Mountain from Pickens?
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.