Located in Orleans County, Vermont, Jay Peak is a mountain peak at about 1,148 m (3,766 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 9.2 km (5.7 mi) ENE of Montgomery.
Jay Peak is a mountain located about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of the Canada–US border, in Jay and Westfield, Orleans County, Vermont, of which it is the highest point. Most of the mountain is in Jay State Forest. The mountain is named for the town of Jay, Vermont, in which much of the mountain except the peak area itself is located. The town of Jay is in turn named for John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States and a local landholder. Jay Peak is part of the northern Green Mountains. The mountain is flanked to the southwest by Big Jay, and to the north by North Jay Peak (3,438 ft / 1,048 m).From the Wikipedia article “Jay Peak (Vermont)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Jay Peak 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) | 6:54 AM | 90° E | 7:03 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 55° NE | 8:41 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 36m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:38 AM | 89° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 123° ESE | 4:12 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 46m |
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 | 6:53 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:12 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:08 PM | 9h 10m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:49 PM | 10h 26m |
| March | 6:34 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:36 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:46 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 4:48 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:27 AM | 5:04 AM | 5:49 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 35m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 16m |
| August | 5:21 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 06m |
| September | 6:00 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:23 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 35m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:22 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:44 PM | 8h 48m |
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 Jay Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:54 AM – 5:14 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:53 AM – 4:13 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:51 AM – 3:11 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:12 PM – 2:22 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:56 PM – 1:06 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:53 PM – 11:03 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:04 PM | 0.3 | 12° | 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.85 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 57% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 55 | 65 | 72 | 79 | 84 | 88 | 102 | 87 | 89 | 76 | 66 | 62 |
| Low °F | -31 | -31 | -23 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 43 | 41 | 28 | 20 | -1 | -24 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
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 Jay Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Pass
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Jay Peak?
What time is golden hour at Jay Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Jay Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Jay Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Jay Peak?
How far is Jay Peak from Montgomery?
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.