Spruce Knob is a mountain peak in Pendleton County, West Virginia at about 1,482 m (4,862 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 37 km (23 mi) SE of Elkins.
Spruce Mountain, located in eastern West Virginia, is the highest ridge of the Allegheny Mountains. The whale-backed ridge extends for only 16 miles (26 km) from northeast to southwest, but several of its peaks exceed 4,500 feet (1,400 m) in elevation. The summit, Spruce Knob (4,863 ft; 1,482 m), is the highest point both in West Virginia and in the entire Allegheny range, which spans four states.From the Wikipedia article “Spruce Mountain (West Virginia)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Spruce Knob 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) | 7:23 AM | 90° E | 7:30 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:54 AM | 59° ENE | 8:47 PM | 302° WNW | 75° | 14h 53m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:06 AM | 89° E | 7:17 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 120° ESE | 5:01 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 | 7:06 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:40 PM | 5:21 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 45m |
| February | 6:43 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 46m |
| March | 7:04 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:06 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:52 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 12m |
| May | 5:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 17m |
| June | 5:22 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 52m |
| July | 5:35 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:45 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 37m |
| August | 6:04 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:43 PM | 13h 41m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:55 PM | 12h 28m |
| October | 7:01 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:08 PM | 11h 13m |
| November | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:27 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:34 PM | 10h 05m |
| December | 7:00 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:17 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 29m |
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 Spruce Knob, 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:25 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:54 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:30 AM – 5:00 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:31 AM – 4:11 AM | 3.7 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:43 PM – 3:53 AM | 5.2 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:36 PM – 2:26 AM | 3.8 | 22° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:53 PM – 12:23 AM | 2.5 | 22° | S → SW |
| September | 8:58 PM – 10:18 PM | 1.3 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:10 PM – 8:30 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.72 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 67 | 70 | 75 | 82 | 90 | 89 | 95 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 75 | 74 |
| Low °F | -8 | -5 | -8 | 20 | 24 | 35 | 46 | 44 | 35 | 22 | 10 | 3 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
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 Spruce Knob, closest first.
Cave
Waterfall
Wilderness Area
CaveCave
Wilderness Area
Canyon
Ghost TownWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Gatewood Group4.9 km (3.0 mi) · reservable
- Spruce Knob Lake6.2 km (3.9 mi) · reservable
- Laurel Fork Campground14.5 km (9.0 mi)
- Seneca Shadows18.6 km (11.5 mi) · reservable
- Island Campground20 km (12 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Spruce Knob?
What time is golden hour at Spruce Knob?
Where does the sun rise and set at Spruce Knob?
Can you see the Milky Way from Spruce Knob?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Spruce Knob?
How far is Spruce Knob from Elkins?
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.