Mount Abraham is a mountain peak in Addison County, Vermont at about 1,207 m (3,960 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Lincoln, about 5.1 km (3.2 mi) away (Mount Abraham lies ENE of town).
Mount Abraham (known as Mount Abe to locals) is a mountain in the Green Mountains in the U.S. state of Vermont. Located in the Green Mountain National Forest, its summit is in the town of Lincoln in Addison County, but its eastern slopes extend into the town of Warren in Washington County. The mountain is named after Abraham Lincoln, former president of the United States. It is one of five peaks in Vermont's Presidential Range. At 4,006 feet (1,221.0 m), Mount Abraham is the highest point in Addison County, the fifth highest peak in Vermont, and one of the hundred highest peaks in New England. Its summit supports a small amount of alpine tundra vegetation.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Abraham (Vermont)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Abraham 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 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) | 6:56 AM | 90° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:09 AM | 56° NE | 8:39 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:40 AM | 89° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 123° ESE | 4:17 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
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 | 6:52 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:27 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:39 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:48 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:26 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:32 AM | 5:09 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 4:48 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:06 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 11m |
| August | 5:25 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:10 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:30 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:31 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:27 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:08 AM | 3:27 PM | 4:15 PM | 4:48 PM | 8h 54m |
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 Mount Abraham, 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:45 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:41 AM – 4:21 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:46 AM – 3:16 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:02 PM – 2:42 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:48 PM – 1:18 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 11:20 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 9:13 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.64 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 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 Mount Abraham, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Covered BridgeMountain Pass
Covered Bridge
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Abraham?
What time is golden hour at Mount Abraham?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Abraham?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Abraham?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Abraham?
How far is Mount Abraham from Lincoln?
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.