Located in Cascade County, Montana, Benton Lake is a lake at about 1,105 m (3,625 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Sun Prairie, about 19.2 km (11.9 mi) away (Benton Lake lies NNE of town).
Benton Lake is a 5,600 acre wetland in the U.S. state of Montana, and within both the Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the Benton Lake Wetland Management District.From the Wikipedia article “Benton Lake (Montana)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Benton Lake 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 308° (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) | 7:29 AM | 89° E | 7:38 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 53° NE | 9:28 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 00m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:12 AM | 125° SE | 4:37 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 25m |
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
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:35 AM | 8:10 AM | 9:00 AM | 4:11 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:36 PM | 8h 51m |
| February | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:49 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 7:09 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:20 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:02 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:05 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:47 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 5:12 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:34 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 08m |
| June | 4:47 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:16 AM | 8:38 PM | 9:26 PM | 10:07 PM | 15h 58m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:30 AM | 8:34 PM | 9:20 PM | 9:59 PM | 15h 37m |
| August | 5:48 AM | 6:22 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 18m |
| September | 6:32 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:11 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:14 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:27 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:39 PM | 7:10 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:58 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 18m |
| December | 7:32 AM | 8:08 AM | 9:01 AM | 3:42 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:11 PM | 8h 27m |
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 Benton Lake, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.7 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 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| 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 | 4:00 AM – 4:30 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:01 AM – 3:21 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:35 AM – 2:15 AM | 1.7 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 12:04 AM – 1:14 AM | 1.2 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:44 PM – 11:14 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.65 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 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 | 55 | 59 | 76 | 84 | 91 | 98 | 103 | 100 | 93 | 86 | 69 | 53 |
| Low °F | -30 | -26 | -25 | 7 | 18 | 34 | 42 | 40 | 18 | 5 | -12 | -19 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 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 lake
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
- After sunset, long exposures smooth wind ripples into glass.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.
Suggested gear: Tripod, Circular polarizer, Wide-angle lens, Waterproof boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Benton Lake, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
WaterfallWaterfall
WaterfallWaterfall
Waterfall
Waterfall
Scenic ViewpointFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Benton Lake?
What time is golden hour at Benton Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Benton Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Benton Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Benton Lake?
How far is Benton Lake from Sun Prairie?
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.