Located in Bonner County, Idaho, Cabinet Gorge Dam is a canyon. It lies in or next to Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, so park hours, fees and rules apply. The nearest town is Sandpoint, about 42 km (26 mi) away (Cabinet Gorge Dam lies ESE of town).
From the National Park Service
The Cabinet Gorge Dam is a good place to see how far the ice dam for glacial Lake Missoula extended into the Clark Fort valley. Ice moving south from Canada filled the valley below Cabinet Gorge Dam in western Montana creating a wall of ice over 3000 feet deep. The ice dams blocked the flow of water down the Clark Fork River and created a gigantic natural glacial Lake Missoula that stretched eastward for more than 200 miles and was over 2000 feet deep. Glacial Lake Missoula filled the valleys of western Montana with more water that Lake Erie and Lake Ontario combined. Pressure from this massive amount of water and changing climates helped this massive lake fill and drain over a 100 times creating the cataclysmic Missoula Floods.
Text: National Park Service (public domain) — nps.gov.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cabinet Gorge Dam the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:48 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:45 AM | 52° NE | 8:49 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:32 AM | 89° E | 6:44 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:33 AM | 126° SE | 3:54 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 21m |
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
Canyons need light from above: rims glow at sunrise and sunset, while deep or narrow sections are brightest near midday when reflected light bounces off the walls.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:55 AM | 7:30 AM | 8:21 AM | 3:28 PM | 4:18 PM | 4:54 PM | 8h 48m |
| February | 6:20 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:39 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:27 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:39 AM | 6:09 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:22 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:37 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 4:29 AM | 5:06 AM | 5:52 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:54 PM | 15h 11m |
| June | 4:03 AM | 4:45 AM | 5:33 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:28 PM | 16h 02m |
| July | 4:21 AM | 5:01 AM | 5:48 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 40m |
| August | 5:05 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:16 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 5:51 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:30 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:33 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:28 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:18 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:40 AM | 3:19 PM | 4:08 PM | 4:42 PM | 9h 16m |
| December | 6:52 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:22 AM | 2:58 PM | 3:52 PM | 4:28 PM | 8h 23m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Cabinet Gorge Dam, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. June gives the longest window (about 1.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:20 AM – 3:50 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:22 AM – 2:32 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:01 AM – 1:21 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:27 PM – 12:27 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:05 PM – 10:25 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.87 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 34% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). July is the warmest month and December 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 | 37 | 44 | 59 | 72 | 82 | 93 | 98 | 101 | 89 | 79 | 55 | 40 |
| Low °F | -32 | -29 | -22 | 4 | 24 | 29 | 37 | 37 | 22 | 5 | -26 | -30 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.8 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 5.4 | 5.0 |
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 canyon
- In narrow canyons, reflected light creates orange and purple glows; avoid including bright sky in the frame.
- Check flash flood forecasts before entering slot or narrow canyons — rain miles away can flood them.
- Dust and sand are hard on gear; change lenses in a bag or with your back to the wind.
- A long lens on a tripod handles the low light inside canyons better than raising ISO.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Spring and autumn are comfortable; summer monsoon storms bring dramatic skies but higher flood risk in the Southwest.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Wide and telephoto lenses, Lens blower, Weather radio or app. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Cabinet Gorge Dam, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Big Eddy Campground10.3 km (6.4 mi)
- Bad Medicine Campground15.9 km (9.9 mi)
- Bull River Pavilion17.0 km (10.5 mi) · reservable
- Bull River Guard Station21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Spar Lake Campground22 km (13 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cabinet Gorge Dam?
What time is golden hour at Cabinet Gorge Dam?
Where does the sun rise and set at Cabinet Gorge Dam?
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How far is Cabinet Gorge Dam from Sandpoint?
Sources
Location data: National Park Service. 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.