Storm Castle is a mountain peak in Gallatin County, Montana at about 2,184 m (7,165 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 22 km (13 mi) NNE of Big Sky.
Storm Castle, el. 7,165 feet (2,184 m) is a mountain peak in the Gallatin Range in Gallatin County, Montana. The peak is located in the Gallatin National Forest. Storm Castle is also known as Castle Peak or Castle Mountain. The peak is a popular 5-mile (8.0 km) round trip hike from the Storm Castle trailhead in the Gallatin Canyon.From the Wikipedia article “Storm Castle”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Storm Castle 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) | 7:29 AM | 90° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:37 AM | 55° NE | 9:18 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:03 AM | 124° ESE | 4:45 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 42m |
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 | 7:29 AM | 8:02 AM | 8:49 AM | 4:21 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:41 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:57 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:09 AM | 5:11 PM | 5:52 PM | 6:23 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 7:09 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:18 AM | 6:52 PM | 7:31 PM | 8:00 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:42 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:21 AM | 5:55 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:22 AM | 8:30 PM | 9:16 PM | 9:54 PM | 15h 39m |
| July | 5:15 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:36 AM | 8:27 PM | 9:11 PM | 9:48 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:54 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:34 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:43 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:08 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:12 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:22 AM | 6:01 PM | 6:41 PM | 7:11 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:53 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:10 AM | 4:11 PM | 4:56 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 7:25 AM | 7:59 AM | 8:48 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:17 PM | 8h 44m |
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 Storm Castle, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 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 2 (typical truly dark 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 | 5:30 AM – 5:50 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:30 AM – 4:40 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:30 AM – 3:40 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:53 PM – 2:53 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:36 PM – 1:36 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:31 PM – 11:41 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:20 PM – 9:40 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.82 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 40% average cloud cover) and March 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 | 42 | 48 | 62 | 72 | 82 | 89 | 98 | 94 | 88 | 79 | 62 | 45 |
| Low °F | -28 | -35 | -21 | -4 | 12 | 24 | 32 | 32 | 21 | -3 | -27 | -32 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.9 |
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.
- 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 Storm Castle, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
Natural ArchWaterfallWaterfallWaterfallNatural ArchWaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Spire Rock Campground1.7 km (1.0 mi) · reservable
- Garnet Mountain Fire Lookout2.9 km (1.8 mi) · reservable
- Little Bear Cabin7.7 km (4.8 mi) · reservable
- Greek Creek Campground8.4 km (5.2 mi) · reservable
- Swan Creek Campground9.7 km (6.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Storm Castle?
What time is golden hour at Storm Castle?
Where does the sun rise and set at Storm Castle?
Can you see the Milky Way from Storm Castle?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Storm Castle?
How far is Storm Castle from Big Sky?
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.