Lonetree — a ghost town in Chouteau County, Montana at about 952 m (3,123 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Fort Benton, about 42 km (26 mi) away (Lonetree lies SE of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lonetree (also Lone Tree or Steele) is a ghost town in Chouteau County, Montana, United States. Founded circa 1885, it is located at 47°32′30″N 110°17′03″W (47.5416396, -110.2840931), at an altitude of 3,123 feet (952 m). For nearly thirty years Lonetree possessed a post office, which was opened under the name of Steele on March 9, 1888; its name was changed to Lonetree on May 15, 1914. It bore this name for less than a year before closing on March 31, 1915. The entire community of Lonetree was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 11, 1980.From the Wikipedia article “Lonetree, Montana”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lonetree 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.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:25 AM | 89° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 53° NE | 9:23 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 59m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:09 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:07 AM | 125° SE | 4:33 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 26m |
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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:30 AM | 8:05 AM | 8:55 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:32 PM | 8h 52m |
| February | 6:56 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:16 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 7:04 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:27 PM | 7:57 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:01 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:43 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 5:08 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:30 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 4:43 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:21 PM | 10:02 PM | 15h 57m |
| July | 5:01 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:29 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:54 PM | 15h 36m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:28 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:40 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:06 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:09 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:22 AM | 5:53 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:06 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:14 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:20 PM | 9h 19m |
| December | 7:27 AM | 8:03 AM | 8:56 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:07 PM | 8h 28m |
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 Lonetree, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 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 1 (excellent dark-sky 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 | 5:50 AM – 5:50 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:55 AM – 4:35 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:54 AM – 3:14 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:25 AM – 2:15 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:56 PM – 1:16 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:39 PM – 11:09 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.93 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 38% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (71%). July is the warmest month and February 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 | 56 | 61 | 75 | 84 | 90 | 98 | 102 | 99 | 92 | 86 | 69 | 56 |
| Low °F | -30 | -27 | -31 | 7 | 20 | 34 | 42 | 38 | 19 | 4 | -12 | -19 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.0 |
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 ghost town
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lonetree?
What time is golden hour at Lonetree?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lonetree?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lonetree?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lonetree?
How far is Lonetree from Fort Benton?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, 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.