Equinox Mountain is a mountain peak in Bennington County, Vermont at about 1,116 m (3,661 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 4.5 km (2.8 mi) W of Manchester Center.
Equinox Mountain is the highest peak of the Taconic Range and the second-highest point in southern Vermont, after Stratton Mountain. It rises nearly 3,000 feet (914 meters) above its eastern footings in Manchester, giving Equinox the third-greatest topographic prominence among the state's mountains (after Mansfield and Killington). A summit observation building is reached via a privately operated toll road, which passes near various towers used for broadcast and other purposes.From the Wikipedia article “Equinox Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Equinox Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 56° NE | 8:36 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:40 AM | 89° E | 6:52 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 122° ESE | 4:21 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 59m |
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 | 6:51 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:07 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:14 PM | 9h 21m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 4:57 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 4:37 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:56 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 22m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 04m |
| August | 5:28 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:28 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:40 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:29 AM | 3:47 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:19 PM | 4:51 PM | 9h 00m |
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 Equinox Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° 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 | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:38 AM – 4:18 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:41 AM – 3:21 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:54 PM – 2:44 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:42 PM – 1:32 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 9:21 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.4 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 59 | 68 | 75 | 82 | 86 | 94 | 97 | 92 | 90 | 78 | 69 | 65 |
| Low °F | -32 | -24 | -19 | 5 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 44 | 33 | 20 | -2 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Equinox Mountain, closest first.
Wilderness Area
Cave
Mountain Peak
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Natural Arch
State Park
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Grout Pond Campground18.8 km (11.7 mi) · reservable
- Hapgood Pond20 km (12 mi) · reservable
- Winhall Brook Camping Area24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Equinox Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Equinox Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Equinox Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Equinox Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Equinox Mountain?
How far is Equinox Mountain from Manchester Center?
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.