Mount Mansfield is a mountain peak in Chittenden County, Vermont at about 1,337 m (4,386 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Stowe, about 13.5 km (8.4 mi) away (Mount Mansfield lies NW of town).
Mount Mansfield is the highest mountain in Vermont, reaching an elevation of 4,393 feet (1,339 m) above sea level. Located in the northwest of the state, it is also the highest peak in the Green Mountains. Its summit is located within the town of Underhill in Chittenden County; the ridgeline, including some secondary peaks, extends into the town of Stowe in Lamoille County, and the mountain's flanks also reach into the town of Cambridge. When viewed from the east or west, the mountain has the appearance of a (quite elongated) human profile, with distinct forehead, nose, lips, chin, and Adam's apple. These features are most recognizable when viewed from the east; unlike most human faces, the chin is the highest point. The Abenaki describe the mountain as having the appearance of a moose.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Mansfield”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Mansfield 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) | 6:55 AM | 90° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:07 AM | 55° NE | 8:40 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 33m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:39 AM | 89° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 123° ESE | 4:15 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 | 6:53 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:51 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 12m |
| February | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:39 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:38 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:47 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 4:51 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 48m |
| June | 4:30 AM | 5:07 AM | 5:51 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 32m |
| July | 4:46 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 14m |
| August | 5:23 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:18 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 6:02 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:09 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:33 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:38 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:29 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:32 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:25 PM | 4:57 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:25 PM | 4:13 PM | 4:46 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 Mount Mansfield, 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 | 4:44 AM – 5:24 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:42 AM – 4:12 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:48 AM – 3:08 AM | 2.3 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:06 PM – 2:36 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:52 PM – 1:12 AM | 2.3 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:52 PM – 11:12 PM | 1.3 | 16° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 9:13 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 ≈ 21.53 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
- 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Mansfield, closest first.
Waterfall
State Park
Mountain Pass
State Park
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Mansfield?
What time is golden hour at Mount Mansfield?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Mansfield?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Mansfield?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Mansfield?
How far is Mount Mansfield from Stowe?
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.