Burke Mountain is a mountain peak in Caledonia County, Vermont at about 966 m (3,169 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 9.6 km (6.0 mi) ENE of Lyndonville.
Burke Mountain is a mountain located in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The bulk of the mountain is in Burke and Kirby, Caledonia County, but its southeast side is in Essex County. It is flanked to the east and southeast by Umpire Mountain and Kirby Mountain, respectively. Burke Mountain stands within the watershed of the Passumpsic River. The northeast and northwest sides of Burke Mountain drain into Dish Mill Brook, thence into the East Branch of the Passumpsic River. The southwest end of Burke Mtn. drains into Mountain Brook, thence into the East Branch of the Passumpsic River. The south slopes and southeast side of Burke Mountain drain into Weir Mill Brook, thence into Bog Brook, the Moose River, and the Passumpsic River. It is within the Darling State Forest Park of Victory State Forest. The Burke Mountain Ski Area has been developed since the 1940s on the northwest slopes of...From the Wikipedia article “Burke Mountain (Vermont)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Burke Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:52 AM | 90° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:03 AM | 55° NE | 8:37 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:35 AM | 89° E | 6:47 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 123° ESE | 4:11 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 49m |
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 | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:08 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 12m |
| February | 6:19 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:32 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:23 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 48m |
| June | 4:26 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:47 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:12 PM | 15h 32m |
| July | 4:42 AM | 5:17 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 14m |
| August | 5:19 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:27 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 5:58 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:22 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:30 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:05 PM | 6:34 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:29 AM | 3:37 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:09 PM | 4:42 PM | 8h 51m |
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 Burke Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:41 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:39 AM – 4:09 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:45 AM – 3:05 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:03 PM – 2:33 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:49 PM – 1:09 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:49 PM – 11:09 PM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:40 PM – 9:10 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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 ≈ 21.63 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 56% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 89 | 92 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 55 |
| Low °F | -27 | -32 | -21 | 7 | 24 | 33 | 43 | 41 | 28 | 20 | -4 | -22 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
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.
- 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 Burke Mountain, closest first.
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
State Park
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Burke Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Burke Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Burke Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Burke Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Burke Mountain?
How far is Burke Mountain from Lyndonville?
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.