Located in Lincoln County, Maine, Pemaquid Archeological Site is a state park. The nearest town is Bristol, about 8.9 km (5.5 mi) away (Pemaquid Archeological Site lies S of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site is a publicly owned historic property operated by the state of Maine near Pemaquid Beach in Bristol, Maine. The site includes the reconstructed Fort William Henry, archaeological remains of 17th- and 18th-century village buildings and fortifications, and a museum with artifacts found on the site including musket balls, coins, pottery, and early hardware. Pemaquid was a major regional flashpoint in the late 17th-century and early 18th-century conflicts between English and French settlers, and between English settlers and the local Native population. The site has been of historical and archaeological interest since the late 19th century and has been a state park since 1903. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 (as "Pemaquid Restoration and Museum") and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993 (as "Pemaquid...From the Wikipedia article “Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pemaquid Archeological Site 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 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:42 AM | 90° E | 6:50 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:56 AM | 56° NE | 8:25 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:26 AM | 89° E | 6:37 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:10 AM | 123° ESE | 4:04 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 54m |
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
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:26 PM | 4:58 PM | 9h 16m |
| February | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:19 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:38 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:44 PM | 7:13 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:26 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:34 AM | 6:43 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:52 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:40 AM | 5:13 AM | 5:55 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:31 PM | 14h 44m |
| June | 4:20 AM | 4:56 AM | 5:40 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:59 PM | 15h 27m |
| July | 4:35 AM | 5:10 AM | 5:53 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:54 PM | 15h 09m |
| August | 5:12 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:15 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 5:49 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:56 AM | 6:13 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:19 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:24 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:32 AM | 5:17 PM | 5:56 PM | 6:25 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:02 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:17 AM | 3:30 PM | 4:14 PM | 4:45 PM | 9h 40m |
| December | 6:33 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:53 AM | 3:15 PM | 4:02 PM | 4:35 PM | 8h 56m |
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 Pemaquid Archeological Site, 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 | 4:31 AM – 5:11 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:27 AM – 4:07 AM | 1.7 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:32 AM – 3:02 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:48 PM – 2:28 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:34 PM – 1:04 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:36 PM – 11:06 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:29 PM – 8:59 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.42 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 49% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (73%). August is the warmest month and February 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 | 53 | 50 | 55 | 57 | 67 | 70 | 75 | 74 | 71 | 65 | 62 | 57 |
| Low °F | 2 | 8 | 9 | 25 | 37 | 45 | 54 | 56 | 50 | 39 | 19 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.9 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 6.7 |
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 state park
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.
Suggested gear: Versatile zoom lens, Tripod, Park pass. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Pemaquid Archeological Site, closest first.
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Botanical Garden
LighthouseNational Wildlife Refuge
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LighthouseFAQ
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Do you need a permit to photograph at Pemaquid Archeological Site?
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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.