Leonard Harrison State Park — a state park in Tioga County, Pennsylvania — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Pine Creek Gorge. The nearest town is Wellsboro, about 14.0 km (8.7 mi) away (Leonard Harrison State Park lies WSW of town).
Leonard Harrison State Park is a 585-acre (237 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is on the east rim of the Pine Creek Gorge, also known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, which is 800 feet (240 m) deep and nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 m) across here. It also serves as headquarters for the adjoining Colton Point State Park, its sister park on the west rim of the gorge. Leonard Harrison State Park is known for its views of the Pine Creek Gorge, and offers hiking, fishing and hunting, whitewater boating, and camping. The park is in Shippen and Delmar Townships, 10 miles (16 km) west of Wellsboro at the western terminus of Pennsylvania Route 660.From the Wikipedia article “Leonard Harrison State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Leonard Harrison State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 90° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:36 AM | 57° ENE | 8:49 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 122° ESE | 4:43 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 09m |
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 | 7:05 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 29m |
| February | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:45 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:43 PM | 6:12 PM | 10h 37m |
| March | 6:55 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:59 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:13 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 20m |
| May | 5:19 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 32m |
| June | 5:01 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 11m |
| July | 5:16 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:30 AM | 8:03 PM | 8:44 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 55m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:41 PM | 13h 52m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:45 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:49 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:54 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:00 AM | 5:52 PM | 6:30 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:41 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 51m |
| December | 6:59 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:15 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 10m |
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 Leonard Harrison State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:40 AM – 5:40 AM | 1.0 | 16° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:41 AM – 4:41 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:49 AM – 3:49 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:58 PM – 3:18 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:48 PM – 1:58 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:58 PM – 11:58 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:56 PM – 9:56 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.71 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 57% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (79%). 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 | 61 | 68 | 74 | 82 | 95 | 91 | 100 | 96 | 94 | 86 | 72 | 66 |
| Low °F | -11 | -14 | -5 | 16 | 24 | 36 | 45 | 44 | 34 | 21 | 0 | -3 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 3.2 |
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.
- Trail maps often mark overlooks — combine them with the sun azimuth to plan.
- 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 Leonard Harrison State Park, closest first.
State Park
State Park
State Park
Dark Sky Place
State Park
Covered Bridge
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Leonard Harrison State Park?
What time is golden hour at Leonard Harrison State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Leonard Harrison State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Leonard Harrison State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Leonard Harrison State Park?
How far is Leonard Harrison State Park from Wellsboro?
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.