Located in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, Mike Horse is a ghost town at about 1,718 m (5,636 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Lincoln, about 26 km (16 mi) away (Mike Horse lies ENE of town).
Mike Horse is an extinct town in Lewis and Clark County, Montana, United States. A post office called Mike Horse was established in 1943, and remained in operation until 1952. According to tradition, "Mike", a miner's horse, accidentally discovered a valuable deposit of ore near the original site of this mining settlement.From the Wikipedia article “Mike Horse, Montana”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mike Horse 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 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:33 AM | 89° E | 7:42 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:35 AM | 53° NE | 9:29 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:17 AM | 89° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:13 AM | 125° SE | 4:43 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 30m |
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 | 7:37 AM | 8:12 AM | 9:01 AM | 4:18 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:42 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 7:04 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:18 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:54 PM | 6:25 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 7:13 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:24 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:06 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:10 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:50 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 5:19 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:39 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:59 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 04m |
| June | 4:55 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:40 PM | 9:27 PM | 10:07 PM | 15h 53m |
| July | 5:12 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:36 AM | 8:36 PM | 9:22 PM | 10:00 PM | 15h 32m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:10 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:16 PM | 14h 15m |
| September | 6:37 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:14 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:17 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:30 AM | 6:02 PM | 6:44 PM | 7:14 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 7:01 AM | 7:34 AM | 8:21 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 22m |
| December | 7:34 AM | 8:10 AM | 9:01 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:17 PM | 8h 32m |
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 Mike Horse, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.2 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:57 AM – 5:57 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:50 AM – 4:40 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:57 AM – 3:27 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:22 AM – 2:32 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:57 PM – 1:27 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:43 PM – 11:23 PM | 0.7 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.9 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 March as the cloudiest (73%). 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 | 53 | 54 | 72 | 79 | 86 | 93 | 99 | 94 | 89 | 82 | 66 | 47 |
| Low °F | -28 | -27 | -25 | 2 | 10 | 29 | 34 | 35 | 9 | -1 | -21 | -27 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
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 ghost town
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Mike Horse, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Cummings Cabin11.4 km (7.1 mi) · reservable
- Aspen Grove Group Use Area (Helena-Lewis And Clark Nf, Mt)13.6 km (8.4 mi) · reservable
- Indian Meadows Guard Station19.3 km (12.0 mi) · reservable
- Granite Butte Lookout19.8 km (12.3 mi) · reservable
- Holter Dam Campground27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mike Horse?
What time is golden hour at Mike Horse?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mike Horse?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mike Horse?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mike Horse?
How far is Mike Horse from Lincoln?
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.