Copes Lookout
Copes Lookout sits at 1,217 feet on the Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway, facing 300 degrees with a drop of 834 feet within 600 meters of the overlook. The view to the west-southwest takes in Rock Hill at 951 feet, an unnamed 855-foot peak, and Whale's Head at 1,370 feet alongside Dickie Barre at 1,357 feet, all within roughly 3 miles. Pompey's Cave lies to the north at 3.2 miles, Rochester Town Park to the west-northwest at 4.1 miles, and Little Stony Kill Falls to the west at 7.5 miles. The facing direction is angled 30 degrees off square toward sunset, with sunset times ranging from 16:30 at the December solstice to 20:36 at the June solstice. The nearest towns, Yorktown and Cortlandt, are more than 37 miles to the south-southeast, with Danbury further out to the southeast. Copes Lookout follows Panther Rock and precedes Artist's Rock along the byway.
What you’re looking at
Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.
- Rock Hill 951'947 ftwest-southwest · 1.4 mi
- 855'845 ftwest-southwest · 2.7 mi
- Whale's Head1,370 ftwest-southwest · 2.9 mi
- Dickie Barre1,357 ftwest-southwest · 2.9 mi
- Pompey’s Cave254 ftnorth · 3.2 mi
- Rochester Town Park266 ftwest-northwest · 4.1 mi
- Little Stony Kill Falls994 ftwest · 7.5 mi
Light
This overlook faces sunset — 30° off square to it.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:01 | 19:09 | 18:32 |
| June solstice | 05:23 | 20:36 | 19:53 |
| September equinox | 06:45 | 18:56 | 18:19 |
| December solstice | 07:21 | 16:30 | 15:45 |
Local time (America/New_York). Computed for this exact position.
Where it is
- Yorktown37.3 mi south-southeast
- Cortlandt38.0 mi south-southeast
- Danbury44.7 mi southeast
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How high is Copes Lookout?
Copes Lookout sits at about 1,217 feet (371 m).
What can you see from Copes Lookout?
From Copes Lookout: Rock Hill 951' (WSW, 1.4 mi); 855' (WSW, 2.7 mi); Whale's Head (WSW, 2.9 mi); Dickie Barre (WSW, 2.9 mi).
Is Copes Lookout better at sunrise or sunset?
Sunset. The land falls away from Copes Lookout toward the sunset, so at sunrise the light is behind you. Exact times shift through the year; the page shows the current window.
What is the nearest town to Copes Lookout?
Yorktown, 37 miles SSE of Copes Lookout.
What is the next lookout after Copes Lookout?
Artist's Rock is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Copes Lookout.
Drive to Copes Lookout with Byway
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Byways with this lookout
Day trips start here
- Cold Spring · 26 mi
Locals make it Verified.
Copes Lookout — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.
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Field notes
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