Located in Glacier County, Montana, Curly Bear Mountain is a mountain peak at about 2,467 m (8,094 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is North Browning, about 34 km (21 mi) away (Curly Bear Mountain lies WNW of town).
Curly Bear Mountain (8,099 feet (2,469 m)) is located in the Lewis Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. Curly Bear Mountain is easily seen from the village of Saint Mary, Montana rising just west of Divide Mountain. The peak was named after Blackfoot warrior and historian Curly Bear (Kyáiyo-xusi).From the Wikipedia article “Curly Bear Mountain”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Curly Bear Mountain 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 234° (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) | 7:37 AM | 89° E | 7:47 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:32 AM | 52° NE | 9:41 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 09m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:21 AM | 89° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:25 AM | 126° SE | 4:41 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 16m |
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 | 7:46 AM | 8:22 AM | 9:14 AM | 4:14 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:41 PM | 8h 44m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:27 AM | 5:10 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:28 PM | 10h 13m |
| March | 7:17 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:30 AM | 6:58 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:11 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 6:11 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:26 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 41m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:54 AM | 6:40 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:09 PM | 9:46 PM | 15h 15m |
| June | 4:49 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:49 PM | 9:39 PM | 10:21 PM | 16h 07m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:36 AM | 8:45 PM | 9:33 PM | 10:13 PM | 15h 45m |
| August | 5:53 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:12 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:51 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 23m |
| September | 6:40 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:53 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:23 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:38 AM | 6:03 PM | 6:46 PM | 7:18 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 7:09 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:32 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:30 PM | 9h 12m |
| December | 7:44 AM | 8:21 AM | 9:15 AM | 3:44 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:16 PM | 8h 18m |
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 Curly Bear Mountain, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 12° 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 | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 4:24 AM – 4:34 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:21 AM – 3:11 AM | 0.8 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:22 AM – 3:02 AM | 2.7 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:30 AM – 1:10 AM | 0.7 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 11:00 PM – 11:00 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.94 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 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 mountain peak
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Curly Bear Mountain, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Lake
Mountain Peak
WaterfallWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- St. Mary Campground10.2 km (6.4 mi) · reservable
- Two Medicine Campground19.7 km (12.3 mi) · reservable
- Many Glacier Campground22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Avalanche Campground27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Curly Bear Mountain?
What time is golden hour at Curly Bear Mountain?
Where does the sun rise and set at Curly Bear Mountain?
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How far is Curly Bear Mountain from North Browning?
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.