Swan Lake — a lake in Lake County, Montana at about 936 m (3,071 ft) above sea level — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Bigfork, about 17.6 km (10.9 mi) away (Swan Lake lies SE of town).
Swan Lake is a lake located east of Flathead Lake and the town of Bigfork, Montana. The Swan River comes from the south and fills the lake. The lake is similar to Moyie Lake in southern British Columbia. It is a narrow, small, and twisty lake that is hard to navigate. There is a small divide that separates the Swan River Valley from the Clearwater River Valley. The Clearwater River flows south through a series of lakes, including Seeley Lake and empties into the Blackfoot River. The two valleys are known locally as the Seeley/Swan. Swan Lake runs parallel to Montana Highway 83. The Swan Lake Area is host to numerous campsites including areas right along the lake. Swan Lake is also home to many lakeside homes.From the Wikipedia article “Swan Lake (Montana)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Swan Lake 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) | 7:39 AM | 89° E | 7:48 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:37 AM | 53° NE | 9:39 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:23 AM | 89° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:23 AM | 126° SE | 4:46 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
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 | 7:46 AM | 8:21 AM | 9:12 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:10 PM | 5:45 PM | 8h 49m |
| February | 7:11 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:27 AM | 5:14 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:30 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:31 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:12 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:14 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 39m |
| May | 5:21 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:43 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:08 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 10m |
| June | 4:55 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:49 PM | 9:37 PM | 10:18 PM | 16h 01m |
| July | 5:13 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:45 PM | 9:32 PM | 10:11 PM | 15h 39m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:31 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:08 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 19m |
| September | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:54 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:21 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:24 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:38 AM | 6:06 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:20 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 7:09 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 17m |
| December | 7:43 AM | 8:19 AM | 9:13 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:20 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 Swan Lake, 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 2 (typical truly dark 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 | 2:14 AM – 3:24 AM | 1.2 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:53 AM – 2:13 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| July | 12:19 AM – 1:19 AM | 1.0 | 13° | 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.86 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 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 | 37 | 45 | 65 | 71 | 80 | 90 | 99 | 95 | 87 | 77 | 59 | 38 |
| Low °F | -29 | -36 | -27 | -7 | 20 | 27 | 35 | 35 | 20 | -10 | -15 | -31 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
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
- 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.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
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 Swan Lake, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
State Park
State Park
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Swan Lake Campground4.1 km (2.6 mi) · reservable
- Swan Guard Station7.1 km (4.4 mi) · reservable
- Mission Lookout7.4 km (4.6 mi) · reservable
- Devil'S Corkscrew Campground22 km (14 mi)
- Anna Creek Cabin25 km (15 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Swan Lake?
What time is golden hour at Swan Lake?
Where does the sun rise and set at Swan Lake?
Can you see the Milky Way from Swan Lake?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Swan Lake?
How far is Swan Lake from Bigfork?
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.