Located in Shenandoah County, Virginia, Short Mountain is a mountain peak at about 856 m (2,808 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Edinburg, about 5.0 km (3.1 mi) away (Short Mountain lies SSE of town).
Short Mountain lies along the northwestern margin of Massanutten Mountain in Shenandoah County, Virginia. It is seven miles in length, from Mount Jackson on the south end to Edinburg on the north, so it was also once known as "Seven-mile Mountain". The Massanutten Trail traverses the mountain.From the Wikipedia article “Short Mountain (Virginia)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Short Mountain the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 90° E | 7:26 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 59° ENE | 8:43 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:30 AM | 120° ESE | 4:56 PM | 240° WSW | 28° | 9h 27m |
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 | 7:02 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:46 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 6:39 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:15 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 7:00 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:48 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 13m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 5:18 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:29 AM | 8:02 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 52m |
| July | 5:31 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:34 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:39 PM | 13h 42m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:49 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:24 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:29 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:37 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:30 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 6:56 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 28m |
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 Short Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:21 AM – 5:31 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:30 AM – 5:50 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:26 AM – 4:56 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:27 AM – 4:07 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:39 PM – 3:49 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:32 PM – 2:22 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:49 PM – 12:19 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 10:14 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:06 PM – 8:26 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.31 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ 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 52% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 72 | 73 | 78 | 87 | 93 | 96 | 101 | 98 | 97 | 95 | 80 | 77 |
| Low °F | -3 | -3 | -6 | 22 | 27 | 39 | 50 | 49 | 36 | 23 | 13 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 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
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Short Mountain, closest first.
Waterfall
Covered Bridge
Cave
Scenic Viewpoint
Cave
Mountain PassScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Camp Roosevelt5.6 km (3.5 mi) · reservable
- Little Fort12.8 km (7.9 mi) · reservable
- Wolf Gap21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Mathews Arm Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Elizabeth Furnace24 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Short Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Short Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Short Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Short Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Short Mountain?
How far is Short Mountain from Edinburg?
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.