Snake Mountain is a mountain peak in Addison County, Vermont at about 394 m (1,293 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 3.5 km (2.2 mi) SSE of Addison.
Snake Mountain, also called Grand View Mountain, is an isolated mountain in the U.S. state of Vermont. The mountain straddles the Addison-Weybridge town line in Addison County. Most of the mountain, including the summit, is part of the 1,215-acre (492 ha) Snake Mountain Wildlife Management Area (WMA) administered by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Adjacent to the WMA is the 81-acre (33 ha) Wilmarth Woods Natural Area protected by The Nature Conservancy. Snake Mountain is one of a series of scattered hills extending into the Champlain Valley from the greater Taconic Mountains along Vermont's southwestern edge. Seen from the west, the prominent sheer cliffs of the mountain rise dramatically out of the valley making it easy to distinguish from other nearby hills and mountains. From the summit, there is an open vista of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains to the west. The...From the Wikipedia article “Snake Mountain (Vermont)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Snake 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 69° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:57 AM | 90° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:11 AM | 56° NE | 8:40 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:26 AM | 123° ESE | 4:18 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 53m |
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 | 7:26 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:34 AM | 4:42 PM | 5:23 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:45 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:28 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:40 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:10 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 45m |
| June | 4:34 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:54 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 28m |
| July | 4:50 AM | 5:25 AM | 6:08 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 10m |
| August | 5:26 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:11 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:35 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:39 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:40 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:33 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:28 PM | 4:59 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 6:49 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:29 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:49 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 Snake 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:46 AM – 5:26 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:42 AM – 4:22 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:47 AM – 3:17 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:03 PM – 2:43 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:49 PM – 1:19 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:51 PM – 11:21 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:14 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 ≈ 21.51 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 56% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). 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 | 63 | 74 | 79 | 86 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 91 | 79 | 70 | 60 |
| Low °F | -29 | -27 | -18 | 8 | 27 | 36 | 43 | 45 | 32 | 23 | -7 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 3.0 |
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
- 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.
- 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 Snake Mountain, closest first.
Waterfall
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Lighthouse
Lighthouse
State Park
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Snake Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Snake Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Snake Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Snake Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Snake Mountain?
How far is Snake Mountain from Addison?
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.