Located in Grayson County, Virginia, Mount Rogers is a mountain peak at about 1,746 m (5,728 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 14.8 km (9.2 mi) SSE of Adwolf.
Mount Rogers is the highest natural point in Virginia, United States, with a summit elevation of 5,729 ft (1,746 m) above mean sea level. The summit straddles the border of Grayson and Smyth Counties, Virginia, about 6.45 mi (10.38 km) WSW of Troutdale, Virginia. Most of the mountain is contained within the Lewis Fork Wilderness, while the entire area is part of the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, which itself is a part of the Jefferson National Forest. The mountain is named for William Barton Rogers, a Virginian educated at the College of William & Mary, who taught at William & Mary and the University of Virginia, became Virginia's first State Geologist, and went on to found the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Rogers”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Rogers the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:31 AM | 90° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 53° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:09 AM | 60° ENE | 8:49 PM | 301° WNW | 77° | 14h 40m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:15 AM | 89° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:36 AM | 119° ESE | 5:14 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 39m |
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 | 7:10 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:17 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:34 PM | 6:02 PM | 9h 56m |
| February | 6:49 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:51 AM | 5:31 PM | 6:07 PM | 6:34 PM | 10h 52m |
| March | 7:12 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:12 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:34 PM | 8:00 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:26 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:26 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 08m |
| May | 5:51 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 07m |
| June | 5:37 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:46 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:18 PM | 14h 39m |
| July | 5:50 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:57 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:46 PM | 9:15 PM | 14h 26m |
| August | 6:17 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:46 PM | 13h 34m |
| September | 6:43 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:01 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 7:08 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:09 AM | 6:16 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:17 PM | 11h 17m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 14m |
| December | 7:03 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:32 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 40m |
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 Rogers, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 24° 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 | — | 0° | — |
| February | 5:14 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:30 AM – 6:10 AM | 1.7 | 21° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:22 AM – 5:12 AM | 2.8 | 24° | SE → S |
| May | 12:29 AM – 4:29 AM | 4.0 | 24° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:39 PM – 4:09 AM | 5.5 | 24° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:33 PM – 2:43 AM | 4.2 | 24° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:54 PM – 12:44 AM | 2.8 | 24° | S → SW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 10:43 PM | 1.7 | 21° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:17 PM – 8:47 PM | 0.5 | 14° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.68 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 52% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (66%). 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 | 70 | 71 | 79 | 82 | 90 | 96 | 96 | 99 | 94 | 92 | 78 | 72 |
| Low °F | -4 | -5 | 0 | 21 | 30 | 39 | 50 | 46 | 34 | 23 | 10 | 0 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 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
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- 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.
- 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 Rogers, closest first.
Wilderness Area
State Park
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Grindstone3.0 km (1.9 mi) · reservable
- Fox Creek Horse Camp5.6 km (3.5 mi) · reservable
- Old Virginia Group Horse Camp6.5 km (4.0 mi) · reservable
- Hurricane Campground8.6 km (5.3 mi) · reservable
- Beartree9.6 km (5.9 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Rogers?
What time is golden hour at Mount Rogers?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Rogers?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Rogers?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Rogers?
How far is Mount Rogers from Adwolf?
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.