Fort Peck Lake — a lake in Garfield County, Montana — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 47 km (29 mi) S of Glasgow.
Fort Peck Lake, or Lake Fort Peck, is a major reservoir in Montana, formed by the Fort Peck Dam on the Missouri River. The lake lies in the eastern prairie region of Montana approximately 140 miles (230 km) east of Great Falls and 120 miles (190 km) north of Billings, reaching into portions of six counties. The dam and reservoir were built in the 1930s to enhance navigation on the Missouri River, supplying enough water downstream of the dam to provide for a 9-foot deep (2.7 m), 300-foot wide (91 m) navigation channel from Sioux City, Iowa, to the mouth of the Missouri just above St. Louis.From the Wikipedia article “Fort Peck Lake”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Fort Peck 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) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:09 AM | 53° NE | 9:10 PM | 308° NW | 66° | 16h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 125° SE | 4:18 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 24m |
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 | 7:17 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:52 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:17 PM | 8h 50m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 16m |
| March | 6:50 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:02 AM | 6:31 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:43 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:15 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 38m |
| May | 4:53 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:15 PM | 15h 09m |
| June | 4:28 AM | 5:08 AM | 5:57 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 59m |
| July | 4:45 AM | 5:24 AM | 6:11 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 38m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:21 PM | 8:55 PM | 14h 18m |
| September | 6:14 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:25 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:52 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:51 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 6:40 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 18m |
| December | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:43 AM | 3:23 PM | 4:16 PM | 4:52 PM | 8h 26m |
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 Fort Peck 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 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 | 3:42 AM – 4:12 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:43 AM – 3:03 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:17 AM – 1:57 AM | 1.7 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:46 PM – 12:56 AM | 1.2 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:26 PM – 10:56 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 ≈ 21.95 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 42% average cloud cover) and March 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 | 60 | 67 | 78 | 90 | 95 | 104 | 111 | 105 | 100 | 90 | 74 | 59 |
| Low °F | -24 | -18 | -27 | 8 | 24 | 36 | 48 | 42 | 30 | 6 | -7 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
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
- 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.
- For mirror reflections, get low and close to the water; the reflection grows with a lower camera.
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Fort Peck Lake, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- West End Tent And Trailer Campground27 km (17 mi) · reservable
- West End Campground27 km (17 mi)
- Perch Point 1 & 228 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Boomtown Shelter28 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Fort Peck Lake?
What time is golden hour at Fort Peck Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Fort Peck Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Fort Peck Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Fort Peck Lake?
How far is Fort Peck Lake from Glasgow?
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.