Pico Peak is a mountain peak in Rutland County, Vermont at about 1,203 m (3,947 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Mendon, about 7.5 km (4.7 mi) away (Pico Peak lies E of town).
Pico Peak is a mountain in the Green Mountains in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. Pico Peak is flanked to the south by Ramshead Peak. To the north, it faces Deer Leap Mountain across Sherburne Pass. Seen from the pass, the summit of Pico Peak resembles a cone. Pico Peak is the northernmost mountain of the Coolidge Range, and the second highest mountain in that range after Killington Peak. In 1927 the State Legislature named the Coolidge Range after Vermont native Calvin Coolidge. The range runs between Pico Peak and the town of Plymouth, where Coolidge grew up. The peak's name may stem from the Abenaki for "the pass/opening" or indeed from the Spanish or Portuguese word for "peak", Pico. "Pico Peak" appears on the 1869 Beers Atlas of Rutland County, Walling's 1860 Map of the State of Vermont and Chace's 1854 Map of Rutland County (albeit reversed with Killington Peak).From the Wikipedia article “Pico Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pico Peak 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 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) | 6:56 AM | 90° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:11 AM | 56° NE | 8:37 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 26m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:39 AM | 89° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:22 AM | 123° ESE | 4:18 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 56m |
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 | 3:55 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 18m |
| February | 6:22 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:31 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:22 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 31m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:20 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:48 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 25m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:43 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 25m |
| July | 4:50 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 07m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 00m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:09 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:04 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:38 PM | 11h 04m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:29 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:49 PM | 8h 57m |
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 Pico Peak, 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 | 4:43 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:39 AM – 4:19 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:43 AM – 3:13 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:58 PM – 2:38 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:45 PM – 1:25 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:48 PM – 11:18 PM | 1.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:42 PM – 9:22 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 ≈ 21.36 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
- 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 Pico Peak, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
State Park
Covered Bridge
State Park
Waterfall
Covered BridgeWaterfall
Covered BridgeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pico Peak?
What time is golden hour at Pico Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pico Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pico Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pico Peak?
How far is Pico Peak from Mendon?
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.