Located in Windsor County, Vermont, Gile Mountain is a mountain peak at about 565 m (1,854 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Hanover, about 10.9 km (6.8 mi) away (Gile Mountain lies NNW of town).
Gile Mountain in Windsor County, Vermont, sits along the border between the towns of Norwich and Sharon; its summit is in Norwich. The mountain reaches a height of 1,873 ft (571 m) above sea level. Relatively unimposing considering its height, the true summit cannot easily be seen from the surrounding territory, despite the prominent fire tower atop its summit. The tower is easily reached by taking Turnpike Road from Norwich to the parking area near its terminus. From there, the Gile Mountain trail leads west 0.7 miles (1.1 km) to the summit, passing under power lines. The summit area contains an old ranger cabin, since converted to a shelter-type structure (though camping is not allowed), and the tower itself. From the top views are expansive, and on a clear day one can see Mount Ascutney to the south, the Green Mountains from Killington Peak to Mount Mansfield to the west, Mount...From the Wikipedia article “Gile Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Gile Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (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) | 6:54 AM | 90° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:08 AM | 56° NE | 8:36 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:37 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 123° ESE | 4:16 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 55m |
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 | 7:21 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:46 AM | 6:54 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:52 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:08 PM | 8:42 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:32 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 26m |
| July | 4:47 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:05 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:26 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:07 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:31 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:35 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:28 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:14 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:28 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:56 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 6:44 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:26 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:46 PM | 8h 56m |
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 Gile Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:41 AM – 5:21 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:37 AM – 4:17 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:41 AM – 3:11 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:56 PM – 2:36 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:43 PM – 1:23 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 11:16 PM | 1.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:40 PM – 9:20 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.31 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 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 | 59 | 68 | 72 | 82 | 84 | 96 | 96 | 92 | 89 | 78 | 69 | 65 |
| Low °F | -30 | -23 | -21 | 8 | 24 | 34 | 44 | 42 | 30 | 18 | 1 | -15 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Gile Mountain, closest first.
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
State Park
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
State Park
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Union Village Dam Picnic Area (Vt)7.7 km (4.8 mi) · reservable
- North Hartland Lake Beach (Vt)22 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Gile Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Gile Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Gile Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Gile Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Gile Mountain?
How far is Gile Mountain from Hanover?
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.