Rainbow Peak is a mountain peak in Flathead County, Montana at about 2,988 m (9,803 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 55 km (34 mi) NNE of Whitefish.
Rainbow Peak (9,895 feet (3,016 m)) is located in the Livingston Range, Glacier National Park in the U.S. state of Montana. The namesake Rainbow Glacier is immediately east and northeast of Rainbow Peak. Rainbow Peak is the ninth-tallest mountain in Glacier National Park and rises over 1 mile (1.6 km) above Bowman Lake. From the parking lot at the Bowman Lake Campground, the elevation gain is 5,865 ft (1,788 m). In July 1998 the peak was the site of the death of two climbers who were climbing a snow-covered chimney when a cornice collapsed, causing the two climbers to fall to their deaths.From the Wikipedia article “Rainbow Peak”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Rainbow 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 65° 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 | 9:44 PM | 309° NW | 65° | 16h 11m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:24 AM | 89° E | 7:36 PM | 271° W | 41° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:28 AM | 126° SE | 4:43 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 | 7:49 AM | 8:25 AM | 9:17 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 | 5:57 PM | 6:30 PM | 10h 12m |
| March | 7:19 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:32 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 6:13 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:29 AM | 7:45 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:01 PM | 13h 42m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:42 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:12 PM | 9:50 PM | 15h 16m |
| June | 4:50 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:53 PM | 9:42 PM | 10:25 PM | 16h 09m |
| July | 5:09 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:48 PM | 9:36 PM | 10:17 PM | 15h 47m |
| 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 | 7:55 AM | 7:10 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:23 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:26 AM | 7:57 AM | 8:41 AM | 6:05 PM | 6:48 PM | 7:20 PM | 10h 51m |
| November | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:36 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:57 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 11m |
| December | 7:47 AM | 8:24 AM | 9:19 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 Rainbow 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 | 4:27 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 ≈ 21.93 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
- 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 Rainbow Peak, closest first.
Lake
Mountain Peak
Fire Lookout
Lake
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Lake
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Ben Rover Cabin17.9 km (11.1 mi) · reservable
- Schnaus Cabin19.2 km (11.9 mi) · reservable
- Ford Cabin20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Wurtz Cabin22 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Rainbow Peak?
What time is golden hour at Rainbow Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Rainbow Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Rainbow Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Rainbow Peak?
How far is Rainbow 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.