Great Falls is a city of about 59,638 people in Cascade County, Montana, at 1,015 m (3,330 ft). Today the sun rises at 7:52 AM and sets at 6:30 PM; the evening golden hour runs 5:47 PM – 6:49 PM. Below are monthly times, sun directions, the best photo locations within 80 km and the nearest dark skies.
Sunrise, sunset & golden hour by month
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8:09 AM | 8:59 AM | 4:12 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:36 PM | 8h 52m |
| February | 7:32 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 7:39 AM | 8:20 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:01 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:37 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:47 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 5:49 AM | 6:34 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 5:28 AM | 6:16 AM | 8:37 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:05 PM | 15h 57m |
| July | 5:44 AM | 6:31 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:19 PM | 9:58 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 6:22 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:13 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 7:03 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:44 AM | 8:26 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:39 PM | 7:10 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 7:31 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 8:07 AM | 9:00 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:11 PM | 8h 28m |
Local time in America/Denver, daylight saving time included.
Where the sun rises and sets in Great Falls
At Great Falls the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
Best photo spots near Great Falls
20 photo locations lie within 80 km of Great Falls. Each links to a full planning page with sunrise and sunset directions.
Scenic Viewpoints
Waterfalls
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State ParkLakes
Natural Arches
Mountain Peaks
Night sky, Milky Way & aurora
The sky over central Great Falls is estimated at Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition). The nearest truly dark location in our database is Buffalo Falls, about 48 km (30 mi) away (Bortle 1). The Milky Way core is up during darkness from April to August, best in June. Northern lights need roughly Kp 4.0+ to appear low on the northern horizon here.
Darkest skies within 200 km
| Location | Type | Distance | Est. Bortle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Falls | Waterfall | 48 km (30 mi) | 1 |
| Tower Rock State Park | State Park | 52 km (32 mi) | 1 |
| The Arch | Natural Arch | 68 km (42 mi) | 1 |
| Lonetree | Ghost Town | 76 km (48 mi) | 1 |
| Big Baldy Mountain | Mountain Peak | 79 km (49 mi) | 1 |
| Memorial Falls | Waterfall | 80 km (49 mi) | 1 |
| Kings Hill Pass | Mountain Pass | 86 km (54 mi) | 1 |
| Rogers Pass | Mountain Pass | 93 km (58 mi) | 1 |
| Month | Milky Way core window (15th) | Hours | Max altitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| March | 5:54 AM – 5:54 AM | 0.0 | 10° |
| April | 3:59 AM – 4:39 AM | 0.7 | 13° |
| May | 1:58 AM – 3:18 AM | 1.3 | 13° |
| June | 12:29 AM – 2:19 AM | 1.8 | 14° |
| July | 12:00 AM – 1:20 AM | 1.3 | 13° |
| August | 10:43 PM – 11:13 PM | 0.5 | 12° |
Cloud cover by month
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 38% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (71%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.