Located in Missoula County, Montana, Hellgate Canyon is a canyon. The nearest town is Clinton, about 2.1 km (1.3 mi) away (Hellgate Canyon lies S of town).
Hellgate Canyon is a canyon in Missoula County, Montana, formed by the Clark Fork River. It is located just to the east of Missoula, and is approximately fifty miles long. The entrance to the canyon is known as Hell's Gate.From the Wikipedia article “Hellgate Canyon”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Hellgate Canyon the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:39 AM | 89° E | 7:48 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:42 AM | 54° NE | 9:33 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 52m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:18 AM | 125° SE | 4:50 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 32m |
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 | 7:42 AM | 8:16 AM | 9:05 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:48 PM | 8h 58m |
| February | 7:09 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:23 AM | 5:17 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:31 PM | 10h 20m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:29 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:11 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:55 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 5:25 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:45 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 02m |
| June | 5:02 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:28 AM | 8:44 PM | 9:31 PM | 10:11 PM | 15h 50m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:40 PM | 9:26 PM | 10:04 PM | 15h 30m |
| August | 6:00 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 13m |
| September | 6:43 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:53 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:19 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:23 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:35 AM | 6:08 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:20 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 7:05 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:25 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 24m |
| December | 7:39 AM | 8:14 AM | 9:05 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:23 PM | 8h 34m |
Local time (America/Denver), 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 Hellgate Canyon, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:52 AM – 6:02 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:55 AM – 4:45 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:01 AM – 3:31 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:23 AM – 2:43 AM | 2.3 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:00 AM – 1:40 AM | 1.7 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:48 PM – 11:38 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:33 PM – 9:33 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.71 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 July as the clearest month (about 36% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 49 | 50 | 69 | 74 | 84 | 94 | 103 | 99 | 90 | 83 | 65 | 44 |
| Low °F | -27 | -36 | -25 | 2 | 7 | 25 | 33 | 31 | 20 | -9 | -14 | -33 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.3 |
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
- A long lens on a tripod handles the low light inside canyons better than raising ISO.
- From the rim, sunrise and sunset side-light reveals layers; a telephoto picks out buttes and shadows.
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Hellgate Canyon, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Hellgate Canyon?
What time is golden hour at Hellgate Canyon?
Where does the sun rise and set at Hellgate Canyon?
Can you see the Milky Way from Hellgate Canyon?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Hellgate Canyon?
How far is Hellgate Canyon from Clinton?
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.