Mondak is a ghost town in Roosevelt County, Montana. The nearest town is Sidney, about 35 km (22 mi) away (Mondak lies NNE of town).
Mondak is a ghost town in Roosevelt County, Montana, United States, which flourished c. 1903–1919, in large measure by selling alcohol to residents of North Dakota, then a dry state. Mondak—a portmanteau derived from Montana and adjacent North Dakota—was created in 1903, mostly by local investors who realized that profit could be made by selling beer and liquor to North Dakotans. Because of its strategic location on the Missouri River and the Great Northern Railway, Mondak quickly became a thriving village. The first building was constructed in 1904, and Mondak soon boasted a bank, two hotels, three general stores, and several grain elevators. It also eventually had a church, a newspaper, a two-story brick school, and a part-time electric generating plant. Locally raised grain and cattle were shipped to Minneapolis on the Great Northern, but the town's most profitable business...From the Wikipedia article “Mondak, Montana”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mondak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:00 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 4:57 AM | 53° NE | 9:00 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 03m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:44 AM | 89° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 126° SE | 4:06 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 22m |
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 | 7:07 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:40 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:06 PM | 8h 49m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:48 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 6:39 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:51 AM | 6:21 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 5:35 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:05 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 4:41 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 10m |
| June | 4:16 AM | 4:57 AM | 5:46 AM | 8:09 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:39 PM | 16h 01m |
| July | 4:34 AM | 5:13 AM | 6:00 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:53 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 40m |
| August | 5:18 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:03 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:15 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:11 PM | 7:42 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:40 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 6:30 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:52 AM | 3:32 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 16m |
| December | 7:04 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:34 AM | 3:11 PM | 4:04 PM | 4:41 PM | 8h 24m |
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 Mondak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. June gives the longest window (about 1.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 3:32 AM – 4:02 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:34 AM – 2:44 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:13 AM – 1:33 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:39 PM – 12:39 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:17 PM – 10:37 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.89 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 3.5+ 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 44% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (70%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 54 | 63 | 77 | 89 | 92 | 100 | 107 | 105 | 97 | 84 | 69 | 52 |
| Low °F | -34 | -32 | -26 | 0 | 23 | 37 | 46 | 41 | 26 | 5 | -11 | -30 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
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
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Mondak?
What time is golden hour at Mondak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mondak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mondak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mondak?
How far is Mondak from Sidney?
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.