Located in Judith Basin County, Montana, Big Baldy Mountain is a mountain peak at about 2,799 m (9,183 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 79 km (49 mi) SE of Great Falls.
Big Baldy Mountain is the tallest mountain in the Little Belt Mountains located in Judith Basin County, Montana. The mountain is 9,181 feet (2,798 m) high. The mountain is locally known as Mount Baldy.From the Wikipedia article “Big Baldy Mountain (Montana)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Big Baldy Mountain 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 307° (NW) in June to 236° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:26 AM | 89° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 53° NE | 9:22 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:10 AM | 89° E | 7:22 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:06 AM | 125° SE | 4:37 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 31m |
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
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:30 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:54 AM | 4:11 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:35 PM | 8h 56m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:18 PM | 10h 19m |
| March | 7:06 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:17 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:59 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:03 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:43 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 5:12 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:32 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 03m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:32 PM | 9:20 PM | 10:00 PM | 15h 52m |
| July | 5:05 AM | 5:43 AM | 6:29 AM | 8:29 PM | 9:15 PM | 9:53 PM | 15h 31m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:41 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:07 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:10 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:23 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:07 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 6:53 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 23m |
| December | 7:27 AM | 8:02 AM | 8:54 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:10 PM | 8h 32m |
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 Big Baldy Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:50 AM – 5:50 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:43 AM – 4:33 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:50 AM – 3:20 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:15 AM – 2:25 AM | 2.2 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:50 PM – 1:20 AM | 1.5 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:36 PM – 11:16 PM | 0.7 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 39% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 42 | 49 | 65 | 75 | 83 | 89 | 97 | 93 | 86 | 79 | 62 | 45 |
| Low °F | -30 | -36 | -27 | 2 | 14 | 25 | 35 | 34 | 18 | -8 | -27 | -32 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.4 |
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 mountain peak
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Big Baldy Mountain, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Dry Wolf Cabin9.8 km (6.1 mi) · reservable
- Kings Hill Cabin15.6 km (9.7 mi) · reservable
- Jumping Creek Campground26 km (16 mi)
- Judith Guard Station27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Big Baldy Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Big Baldy Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Big Baldy Mountain?
Can you see the Milky Way from Big Baldy Mountain?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Big Baldy Mountain?
How far is Big Baldy Mountain from Great 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.