Located in Yellowstone County, Montana, Pictograph Cave is a cave. The nearest town is Billings, about 7.1 km (4.4 mi) away (Pictograph Cave lies SE of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Pictograph Cave is an area of three caves (Pictograph, Middle, and Ghost caves) located 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Billings, Montana, United States, preserved and protected in the 23-acre (9.3 ha) Pictograph Cave State Park. Excavation of the three caves began in 1937, and they were the site of some of Montana's first professional archeological studies. Over 30,000 artifacts have been identified, with at least 20,000 animal remains recovered from the site. Species range from large mammalian species, including bison (Bos bison) and elk (Cervus elaphus), to various species of herpetiles (reptiles and amphibians) and avies (birds). The presence of these remains result from human predation, processing and consumption as well as non-human (carnivores and raptors) predation and individual species who lived and died in and around the site.From the Wikipedia article “Pictograph Cave (Billings, Montana)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Pictograph Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:18 AM | 90° E | 7:26 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:25 AM | 54° NE | 9:08 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 43m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:13 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:53 AM | 124° SE | 4:33 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 40m |
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
Caves are lit artificially — show caves have fixed lighting, so a fast lens and high ISO beat flash, which flattens formations.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:18 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:39 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 05m |
| February | 6:46 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:59 AM | 4:59 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 32m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 55m |
| June | 4:46 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:10 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:44 PM | 15h 42m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:24 AM | 8:17 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 22m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 09m |
| September | 6:23 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:32 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:57 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:01 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:59 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 30m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:39 AM | 3:41 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:05 PM | 8h 42m |
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 Pictograph Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:20 AM – 5:40 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:20 AM – 4:30 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:21 AM – 3:21 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:46 PM – 2:36 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:27 PM – 1:27 AM | 2.0 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:21 PM – 11:21 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:09 PM – 9:19 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.63 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 43% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 63 | 64 | 77 | 86 | 92 | 101 | 107 | 102 | 99 | 89 | 74 | 59 |
| Low °F | -16 | -14 | -23 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 46 | 40 | 26 | 2 | -12 | -18 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
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 cave
- Many show caves restrict tripods on tours; ask in advance or bring a small beanbag.
- Use manual focus with focus peaking in low light.
- Never touch formations — skin oils stop their growth.
- Follow White-nose Syndrome decontamination rules where posted to protect bats.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Cave interiors stay at a constant temperature year-round; summer tours fill up, so book ahead.
Suggested gear: Fast lens (f/1.8–f/2.8), High-ISO camera, Small beanbag. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Pictograph Cave, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Pictograph Cave?
What time is golden hour at Pictograph Cave?
Where does the sun rise and set at Pictograph Cave?
Can you see the Milky Way from Pictograph Cave?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Pictograph Cave?
How far is Pictograph Cave from Billings?
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.