Mount Calowahcan is a mountain peak in Lake County, Montana at about 2,741 m (8,993 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Ronan, about 14.3 km (8.9 mi) away (Mount Calowahcan lies ESE of town).
Mount Calowahcan (previously named Mount Harding) is sixth highest peak in the Mission Mountains and is located in northwestern Montana in the United States. East of the mountain is the Swan Valley and to the west side is the Mission Valley.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Calowahcan”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Calowahcan 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 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) | 7:39 AM | 89° E | 7:49 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:39 AM | 53° NE | 9:37 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:23 AM | 89° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:21 AM | 125° SE | 4:48 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 27m |
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 | 7:45 AM | 8:19 AM | 9:09 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:12 PM | 5:47 PM | 8h 53m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:26 AM | 5:16 PM | 6:00 PM | 6:31 PM | 10h 17m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:12 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:57 PM | 13h 37m |
| May | 5:23 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:45 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:06 PM | 9:43 PM | 15h 07m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:27 AM | 8:47 PM | 9:35 PM | 10:16 PM | 15h 56m |
| July | 5:16 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:43 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:08 PM | 15h 35m |
| August | 5:59 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:23 PM | 14h 17m |
| September | 6:43 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 | 8:37 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:49 PM | 7:20 PM | 10h 54m |
| November | 7:08 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:29 AM | 4:14 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 20m |
| December | 7:42 AM | 8:18 AM | 9:10 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:22 PM | 8h 28m |
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 Mount Calowahcan, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 1.8 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | 6:05 AM – 6:05 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 4:10 AM – 4:50 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:09 AM – 3:29 AM | 1.3 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:40 AM – 2:30 AM | 1.8 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 12:11 AM – 1:31 AM | 1.3 | 13° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:54 PM – 11:24 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 ≈ 21.9 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 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 mountain peak
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Mount Calowahcan, closest first.
Mountain Pass
Waterfall
Mountain PeakWaterfall
National Wildlife RefugeWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Lindbergh Lake Campground17.7 km (11.0 mi)
- Old Condon Ranger Station21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Owl Creek Corral25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Holland Lake Campground25 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Owl Creek Cabin28 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Calowahcan?
What time is golden hour at Mount Calowahcan?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Calowahcan?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Calowahcan?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Calowahcan?
How far is Mount Calowahcan from Ronan?
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.