Located in Grafton County, New Hampshire, Old Man of the Mountain is a rock formation. The nearest town is Deerfield, about 9.4 km (5.8 mi) away (Old Man of the Mountain lies SW of town).
The Old Man of the Mountain, also called the Great Stone Face and the Profile, was a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States, that appeared to be the jagged profile of a human face when viewed from the north. The rock formation, 1,200 feet (370 m) above Profile Lake, was 40 feet (12 m) tall and 25 feet (7.6 m) wide. The Old Man of the Mountain is called "Stone Face" by the Abenaki and is a symbol within their culture. It is also a symbol to the Mohawk people. The first written mention of the Old Man was in 1805. It became a landmark and a cultural icon for the state of New Hampshire, and has been featured as the Emblem of New Hampshire since 1945. It collapsed on May 3, 2003. After its collapse, residents considered replacing it with a replica, but the idea was ultimately rejected. It remains a visual icon on the state's...From the Wikipedia article “Old Man of the Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Old Man of the 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 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:51 AM | 90° E | 6:59 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 56° NE | 8:34 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:34 AM | 89° E | 6:46 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:20 AM | 123° ESE | 4:12 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 52m |
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
Rock towers and buttes glow red and orange in the first and last half-hour of sun; midday light flattens their shape.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:47 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 15m |
| February | 6:18 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:46 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:31 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:38 AM | 6:15 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:34 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:43 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 27m |
| May | 4:48 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:03 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 46m |
| June | 4:27 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:48 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:09 PM | 15h 29m |
| July | 4:43 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:04 PM | 15h 11m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 02m |
| September | 5:57 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:05 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:28 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:25 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:34 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:12 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:27 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:53 PM | 9h 39m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:03 AM | 3:22 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:43 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 Old Man of the Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:40 AM – 5:20 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:37 AM – 4:07 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:43 AM – 3:13 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:00 PM – 2:30 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:45 PM – 1:15 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:46 PM – 11:16 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:09 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 ≈ 21.53 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 (78%). 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 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 89 | 92 | 83 | 76 | 65 | 55 |
| Low °F | -27 | -32 | -21 | 7 | 24 | 33 | 43 | 41 | 28 | 20 | -4 | -22 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
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 rock formation
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- Use the sunrise and sunset azimuths below to know which face will be lit.
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Old Man of the Mountain, closest first.
Lake
Mountain Pass
Mountain Peak
Lake
State Park
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Hancock Campground (Nh)12.9 km (8.0 mi) · reservable
- Wildwood13.0 km (8.1 mi) · reservable
- Big Rock15.8 km (9.8 mi) · reservable
- Russell Pond Campground17.1 km (10.6 mi) · reservable
- Sugarloaf 2 Campground17.9 km (11.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Old Man of the Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Old Man of the Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Old Man of the Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Old Man of the Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Old Man of the Mountain?
How far is Old Man of the Mountain from Deerfield?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.