Mount Wood is a mountain peak in Stillwater County, Montana at about 3,838 m (12,592 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Absarokee, about 40 km (25 mi) away (Mount Wood lies SW of town).
Mount Wood (12,660 feet (3,859 m)) is the highest summit in the Granite Range, a subrange of the Beartooth Mountains in the U.S. state of Montana. It is located within the Custer National Forest.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Wood (Montana)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Wood the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:23 AM | 90° E | 7:32 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:32 AM | 55° NE | 9:11 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 39m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:07 AM | 89° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:56 AM | 124° ESE | 4:40 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 44m |
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 | 7:23 AM | 7:55 AM | 8:42 AM | 4:16 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:36 PM | 9h 08m |
| February | 6:51 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:03 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:47 PM | 6:17 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 7:03 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:25 PM | 7:55 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:04 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:25 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 30m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 53m |
| June | 4:54 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:24 PM | 9:10 PM | 9:47 PM | 15h 38m |
| July | 5:10 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:31 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:41 PM | 15h 19m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:00 PM | 14h 07m |
| September | 6:29 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:37 AM | 6:53 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:02 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:06 AM | 7:36 AM | 8:16 AM | 5:55 PM | 6:35 PM | 7:05 PM | 11h 00m |
| November | 6:47 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:03 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 32m |
| December | 7:19 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:42 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:12 PM | 8h 45m |
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 Wood, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:24 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:23 AM – 4:43 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:22 AM – 3:32 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:44 PM – 2:54 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:27 PM – 1:37 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:23 PM – 11:33 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:13 PM – 9:33 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.93 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 43% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 62 | 60 | 74 | 82 | 93 | 99 | 105 | 100 | 95 | 86 | 72 | 57 |
| Low °F | -21 | -16 | -23 | 11 | 15 | 31 | 44 | 38 | 24 | -6 | -18 | -26 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.0 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Wood, closest first.
Waterfall
National Forest
Mountain PeakWaterfallWaterfall
Wilderness AreaCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Emerald Lake Campground9.2 km (5.7 mi)
- Woodbine Campground10.8 km (6.7 mi) · reservable
- Pine Grove Campground13.1 km (8.1 mi)
- East Rosebud Campground16.3 km (10.2 mi)
- Jimmy Joe Campground17.2 km (10.7 mi)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Wood?
What time is golden hour at Mount Wood?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Wood?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Wood?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Wood?
How far is Mount Wood from Absarokee?
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.