Located in Flathead County, Montana, Grant Glacier is a glacier at about 2,420 m (7,940 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 32 km (20 mi) E of Columbia Falls.
Grant Glacier is located in the US state of Montana in Flathead National Forest. The glacier is situated in a cirque and lies below the east slopes of Mount Grant (8,590 feet (2,620 m)). Grant Glacier is 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Stanton Glacier and both 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Glacier National Park (U.S.). Images taken of the glacier in 1902 and from the same vantage point in 1998 indicate that the glacier retreated substantially during the 20th Century.From the Wikipedia article “Grant Glacier (Montana)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Grant Glacier the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (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 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:39 AM | 89° E | 7:48 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:35 AM | 52° NE | 9:40 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 06m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:24 AM | 126° SE | 4:44 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 19m |
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
Ice shows its blue best under overcast skies or in shade; bright sun turns glaciers white and flat.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:46 AM | 8:22 AM | 9:13 AM | 4:17 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:44 PM | 8h 46m |
| February | 7:11 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:28 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:29 PM | 10h 14m |
| March | 7:18 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:30 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:12 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:59 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 5:19 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:23 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 13m |
| June | 4:53 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:49 PM | 9:38 PM | 10:20 PM | 16h 04m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:45 PM | 9:33 PM | 10:12 PM | 15h 42m |
| August | 5:55 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 21m |
| September | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:54 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:24 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:38 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:19 PM | 10h 52m |
| November | 7:09 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:32 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 15m |
| December | 7:44 AM | 8:20 AM | 9:14 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:18 PM | 8h 21m |
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 Grant Glacier, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 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 | 4:12 AM – 4:42 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:16 AM – 3:16 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 1:01 AM – 2:01 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 12:22 AM – 1:12 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:57 PM – 11:17 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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 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 39% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 34 | 38 | 46 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 90 | 92 | 86 | 74 | 54 | 37 |
| Low °F | -32 | -39 | -37 | -12 | 15 | 23 | 34 | 32 | 13 | -3 | -27 | -40 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.2 |
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 glacier
- Include a person or boat for scale — glaciers are much larger than they look.
- Boat tours to tidewater glaciers offer calving shots; use fast shutter speeds and a telephoto.
- Never walk on a glacier without training and gear; crevasses hide under snow bridges.
- Expose carefully: ice and snow fool meters into underexposure, so add +1 to +2 stops.
- A polarizer deepens the blue of glacial ice and the turquoise of meltwater lakes.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Summer offers access; late summer exposes the most bare ice before new snow.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Polarizer, Waterproof shell, Spare batteries (cold drains them). Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Grant Glacier, closest first.
Glacier
Fire Lookout
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Fire LookoutWilderness Area
Lake
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Riverside Campground (Mt)7.5 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
- Murray Bay Campground (Mt)7.9 km (4.9 mi) · reservable
- Lid Creek Campground12.4 km (7.7 mi) · reservable
- Emery Bay Campground14.7 km (9.1 mi) · reservable
- Lost Johnny Point Campground15.7 km (9.7 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Grant Glacier?
What time is golden hour at Grant Glacier?
Where does the sun rise and set at Grant Glacier?
Can you see the Milky Way from Grant Glacier?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Grant Glacier?
How far is Grant Glacier from Columbia Falls?
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.