Mount Custer — a mountain peak in Flathead County, Montana at about 2,683 m (8,802 ft) above sea level — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 66 km (41 mi) NNE of Whitefish.
Mount Custer (8,888 feet (2,709 m)) is a mountain in the Livingston Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. Situated along the Continental Divide, Mount Custer rises more than 3,300 feet (1,000 m) above Lake Nooney, located below the summit to the east. Herbst Glacier is immediately northeast of the peak. The mountain is probably named for George Armstrong Custer, of Custer's Last Stand.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Custer”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Custer 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 | 7:49 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 13m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:28 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 | 5:07 PM | 5:43 PM | 8h 42m |
| February | 7:13 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:31 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:30 PM | 10h 11m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:32 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 6:12 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:28 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:01 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 17m |
| June | 4:50 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:53 PM | 9:43 PM | 10:26 PM | 16h 10m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:37 AM | 8:48 PM | 9:37 PM | 10:17 PM | 15h 48m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:10 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:29 PM | 14h 24m |
| September | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:55 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:23 PM | 12h 38m |
| October | 7:25 AM | 7:57 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 | 4:07 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 10m |
| December | 7:47 AM | 8:25 AM | 9:20 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:17 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 Mount Custer, 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 | 4:27 AM – 4:37 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:36 AM – 3:16 AM | 0.7 | 12° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:26 AM – 2:56 AM | 2.5 | 12° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:37 AM – 1:07 AM | 0.5 | 11° | S → SSW |
| August | 11:04 PM – 11:04 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
- 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.
- 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 Mount Custer, closest first.
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Lake
GlacierMountain PeakWaterfall
Mountain Peak
Lake
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Ford Cabin26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Wurtz Cabin27 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Schnaus Cabin27 km (17 mi) · reservable
- Ben Rover Cabin28 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Custer?
What time is golden hour at Mount Custer?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Custer?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Custer?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Custer?
How far is Mount Custer 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.