Located in Polk County, Tennessee, Big Frog Mountain is a mountain peak at about 1,276 m (4,186 ft) above sea level. It is part of Cherokee National Forest. It sits roughly 14.5 km (9.0 mi) W of McCaysville.
Big Frog Mountain is a mountain located primarily in southeastern Tennessee in the Big Frog Wilderness, within the Cherokee National Forest. It is located within the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountains. At an elevation of 4,224 feet (1,287 m), there is no higher point west of Big Frog Mountain until the Big Bend in Texas or the Black Hills of South Dakota.From the Wikipedia article “Big Frog Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Big Frog 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) | 7:43 AM | 90° E | 7:50 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:25 AM | 60° ENE | 8:56 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 31m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:27 AM | 89° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:43 AM | 119° ESE | 5:31 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 | 7:19 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:24 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 04m |
| February | 6:59 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:47 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 7:25 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:23 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:11 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:41 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:41 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 00m |
| June | 5:55 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:02 AM | 8:17 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 30m |
| July | 6:07 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:17 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 17m |
| August | 6:32 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:34 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:55 PM | 13h 29m |
| September | 6:56 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:55 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:47 PM | 8:12 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 7:19 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:19 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:57 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:01 PM | 10h 20m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:50 PM | 5:29 PM | 5:57 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 Big Frog 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 | 5:16 AM – 5:56 AM | 0.7 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:30 AM – 6:20 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:30 AM – 5:30 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 12:34 AM – 4:54 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:41 PM – 4:31 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:36 PM – 3:06 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:01 PM – 1:11 AM | 3.2 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 9:12 PM – 11:02 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:29 PM – 9:09 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 ≈ 21.51 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 45% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (63%). 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 | 71 | 75 | 83 | 85 | 92 | 107 | 104 | 102 | 100 | 97 | 84 | 74 |
| Low °F | 2 | 6 | 20 | 21 | 33 | 48 | 52 | 52 | 38 | 25 | 17 | 12 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.3 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 5.5 |
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
- 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 Big Frog Mountain, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Mountain PassMountain PassMountain PassMountain PassMountain PassMountain PassMountain Pass
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Thunder Rock Campground9.4 km (5.9 mi) · reservable
- Cottonwood Patch Campground10.2 km (6.3 mi) · reservable
- Cottonwood Patch Campground10.2 km (6.3 mi)
- Parksville Lake Rv Campground13.7 km (8.5 mi) · reservable
- Jacks River Fields Campground15.1 km (9.4 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Big Frog Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Big Frog Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Big Frog Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Big Frog Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Big Frog Mountain?
How far is Big Frog Mountain from McCaysville?
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.