St. Mary Peak Lookout is a fire lookout in Ravalli County, Montana. It is part of Bitterroot National Forest. It sits roughly 11.5 km (7.1 mi) W of Stevensville. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wikidata describes it as: “historic fire lookout”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At St. Mary Peak Lookout 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 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) | 7:41 AM | 89° E | 7:50 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:45 AM | 54° NE | 9:34 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 50m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:25 AM | 89° E | 7:36 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:19 AM | 124° SE | 4:53 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 34m |
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
Lookouts are built for 360° views, so sunrise and sunset are both options — use the azimuths to decide which view you want.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:43 AM | 8:17 AM | 9:06 AM | 4:28 PM | 5:17 PM | 5:51 PM | 8h 59m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:24 AM | 5:20 PM | 6:03 PM | 6:34 PM | 10h 21m |
| March | 7:21 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:31 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:19 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:56 PM | 13h 34m |
| May | 5:28 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:48 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 00m |
| June | 5:05 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:31 AM | 8:45 PM | 9:32 PM | 10:11 PM | 15h 48m |
| July | 5:22 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:45 AM | 8:42 PM | 9:27 PM | 10:05 PM | 15h 28m |
| August | 6:03 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:22 PM | 14h 12m |
| September | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:55 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:36 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:52 PM | 7:22 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 7:07 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:38 PM | 9h 25m |
| December | 7:40 AM | 8:15 AM | 9:06 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:26 PM | 8h 36m |
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 St. Mary Peak Lookout, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.5 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 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 | 5:54 AM – 6:04 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:56 AM – 4:56 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:51 AM – 3:41 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:21 AM – 2:51 AM | 2.5 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:59 PM – 1:39 AM | 1.7 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:48 PM – 11:38 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:34 PM – 9:34 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.86 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 32% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 46 | 47 | 65 | 71 | 81 | 90 | 97 | 98 | 89 | 80 | 63 | 41 |
| Low °F | -26 | -36 | -25 | 3 | 14 | 24 | 32 | 32 | 20 | -11 | -14 | -29 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
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 fire lookout
- Haze from wildfire smoke can turn the sun deep red but reduce visibility; check air quality.
- Access roads may be rough or seasonal.
- Some lookouts can be rented overnight through recreation.gov, which puts you on site for both sunset and sunrise.
- Shoot the tower itself against the Milky Way or star trails on clear, moonless nights.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Summer and early autumn; many towers are staffed only during fire season.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Warm layers. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of St. Mary Peak Lookout, closest first.
State Park
National Wildlife Refuge
Scenic ViewpointCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Charles Waters Campground10.6 km (6.6 mi)
- Larry Creek Group Camp12.2 km (7.6 mi) · reservable
- Blodgett Campground27 km (17 mi)
- West Fork Butte Lookout27 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Gold Creek Campground29 km (18 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph St. Mary Peak Lookout?
What time is golden hour at St. Mary Peak Lookout?
Where does the sun rise and set at St. Mary Peak Lookout?
Can you see the Milky Way from St. Mary Peak Lookout?
Do you need a permit to photograph at St. Mary Peak Lookout?
How far is St. Mary Peak Lookout from Stevensville?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata. 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.