Located in Flathead County, Montana, Kinnerly Peak is a mountain peak at about 3,031 m (9,944 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 62 km (38 mi) NNE of Whitefish.
Kinnerly Peak (9,949 ft (3,032 m)) is located in the Livingston Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. It is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Kintla Peak, the highest peak in the Livingston Range, and 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the Canada–United States border. Both peaks are in the remote northwest corner of the park. Kinnerly Peak is the eighth tallest peak in Glacier National Park. Kinnerly Peak is notable for its huge north face, which rises steeply from Upper Kintla Lake. From the lake to the summit is an elevation gain of 5,573 feet (1,699 m) in approximately a horizontal 1 mile (1.6 km). The first recorded ascent of Kinnerly Peak was made by a Sierra Club party led by the noted mountaineer Norman Clyde, in 1937. The standard climbing route ascends the northwest face, starting from the south shore of Upper Kintla Lake. It involves a large amount of...From the Wikipedia article “Kinnerly Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Kinnerly Peak 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 309° (NW) in June to 234° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 64° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:40 AM | 89° E | 7:50 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:33 AM | 52° NE | 9:45 PM | 309° NW | 64° | 16h 12m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:24 AM | 89° E | 7:36 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:29 AM | 126° SE | 4:42 PM | 234° SW | 18° | 8h 14m |
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 | 7:50 AM | 8:26 AM | 9:18 AM | 4:15 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:43 PM | 8h 42m |
| February | 7:13 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:31 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:30 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:33 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:51 PM | 15h 17m |
| June | 4:50 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:53 PM | 9:43 PM | 10:26 PM | 16h 10m |
| July | 5:09 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:49 PM | 9:37 PM | 10:18 PM | 15h 48m |
| August | 5:55 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:14 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:29 PM | 14h 24m |
| September | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:56 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:52 PM | 8:23 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:26 AM | 7:58 AM | 8:41 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:20 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 7:12 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:36 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 10m |
| December | 7:48 AM | 8:25 AM | 9:20 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:18 PM | 8h 16m |
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 Kinnerly Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from May through July. June gives the longest window (about 2.5 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| April | 4:28 AM – 4:38 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:37 AM – 3:17 AM | 0.7 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:27 AM – 2:57 AM | 2.5 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:38 AM – 1:08 AM | 0.5 | 11° | S → SSW |
| August | 11:05 PM – 11:05 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 38% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 43 | 47 | 65 | 73 | 82 | 96 | 98 | 99 | 90 | 78 | 57 | 40 |
| Low °F | -32 | -38 | -29 | -7 | 20 | 24 | 35 | 35 | 22 | 2 | -29 | -31 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 3.0 |
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 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.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 Kinnerly Peak, closest first.
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakGlacier
Mountain Peak
Waterfall
Fire Lookout
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Ford Cabin18.0 km (11.2 mi) · reservable
- Wurtz Cabin18.4 km (11.5 mi) · reservable
- Schnaus Cabin19.0 km (11.8 mi) · reservable
- Ben Rover Cabin22 km (14 mi) · reservable
- Hornet Lookout27 km (17 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Kinnerly Peak?
What time is golden hour at Kinnerly Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Kinnerly Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Kinnerly Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Kinnerly Peak?
How far is Kinnerly Peak from Whitefish?
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.