Mount Sentinel — a mountain peak in Missoula County, Montana at about 1,564 m (5,131 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 2.5 km (1.6 mi) SW of East Missoula.
Mount Sentinel, originally known as "Mount Woody," is a small mountain located immediately east of the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana. At a height of 1,958 feet and an elevation of 5,158 feet (1,572 m), Mount Sentinel also features the hillside letter "M", a large concrete structure 620 feet (189 m) up its western face.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Sentinel”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Sentinel the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (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 67° in summer but only 20° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:40 AM | 89° E | 7:49 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:42 AM | 54° NE | 9:35 PM | 307° NW | 67° | 15h 52m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:23 AM | 89° E | 7:35 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:19 AM | 125° SE | 4:50 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 32m |
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 | 7:43 AM | 8:17 AM | 9:06 AM | 4:25 PM | 5:14 PM | 5:49 PM | 8h 57m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:24 AM | 5:18 PM | 6:01 PM | 6:32 PM | 10h 20m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:12 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:17 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:30 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:56 PM | 13h 35m |
| May | 5:26 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:46 AM | 8:20 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:40 PM | 15h 03m |
| June | 5:02 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:29 AM | 8:45 PM | 9:33 PM | 10:12 PM | 15h 51m |
| July | 5:19 AM | 5:57 AM | 6:43 AM | 8:42 PM | 9:28 PM | 10:05 PM | 15h 30m |
| August | 6:01 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:16 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:21 PM | 14h 14m |
| September | 6:44 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:54 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 7:24 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:36 AM | 6:09 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:21 PM | 10h 56m |
| November | 7:07 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:26 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 23m |
| December | 7:40 AM | 8:15 AM | 9:07 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:24 PM | 8h 33m |
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 Sentinel, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.3 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 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:53 AM – 6:03 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:56 AM – 4:46 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:02 AM – 3:32 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:24 AM – 2:44 AM | 2.3 | 14° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 12:01 AM – 1:41 AM | 1.7 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:49 PM – 11:39 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:34 PM – 9:34 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SSW → SSW |
| 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.61 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 December as the cloudiest (75%). 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 | 49 | 50 | 69 | 74 | 84 | 94 | 103 | 99 | 90 | 83 | 65 | 44 |
| Low °F | -27 | -36 | -25 | 2 | 7 | 25 | 33 | 31 | 20 | -9 | -14 | -33 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.3 |
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.
- 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 Mount Sentinel, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Sentinel?
What time is golden hour at Mount Sentinel?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Sentinel?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Sentinel?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Sentinel?
How far is Mount Sentinel from East Missoula?
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.