Located in Ravalli County, Montana, Trapper Peak is a mountain peak at about 2,969 m (9,741 ft) above sea level. The nearest town is Hamilton, about 41 km (26 mi) away (Trapper Peak lies SSW of town).
Trapper Peak is the highest point in the Bitterroot Mountains, part of the larger Bitterroot Range in western Montana. It rises over 6,000 feet (1,830 m) above the nearby Bitterroot Valley. The peak is located within the Central Bitterroot Range, a subrange of the Bitterroot Mountains and within the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area of the Bitterroot National Forest. A trail to the peak climbs 3,800 feet (1,160 m) from the end of a Forest Service road.From the Wikipedia article “Trapper Peak (Montana)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Trapper Peak the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 236° (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) | 7:41 AM | 89° E | 7:50 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:48 AM | 54° NE | 9:32 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 44m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:25 AM | 89° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:17 AM | 124° SE | 4:56 PM | 236° WSW | 21° | 8h 39m |
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 | 7:42 AM | 8:15 AM | 9:03 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:52 PM | 9h 04m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:23 AM | 5:22 PM | 6:04 PM | 6:35 PM | 10h 23m |
| March | 7:21 AM | 7:51 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:43 PM | 8:13 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:20 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:32 AM | 7:44 PM | 8:24 PM | 8:55 PM | 13h 32m |
| May | 5:31 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:50 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:38 PM | 14h 56m |
| June | 5:09 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:33 AM | 8:44 PM | 9:30 PM | 10:08 PM | 15h 43m |
| July | 5:25 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:47 AM | 8:40 PM | 9:25 PM | 10:02 PM | 15h 23m |
| August | 6:05 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:19 AM | 8:06 PM | 8:47 PM | 9:20 PM | 14h 09m |
| September | 6:46 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:56 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 7:24 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:35 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:53 PM | 7:23 PM | 10h 58m |
| November | 7:06 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:24 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:07 PM | 5:40 PM | 9h 29m |
| December | 7:38 AM | 8:13 AM | 9:03 AM | 4:04 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:28 PM | 8h 41m |
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 Trapper Peak, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| March | 5:53 AM – 6:03 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:44 AM – 4:54 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:47 AM – 3:47 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:13 AM – 3:03 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:53 PM – 1:43 AM | 1.8 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:46 PM – 11:46 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:33 PM – 9:43 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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 34% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (76%). July is the warmest month and January 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 | 63 | 72 | 82 | 89 | 98 | 94 | 89 | 81 | 63 | 42 |
| Low °F | -30 | -32 | -13 | 1 | 17 | 24 | 33 | 29 | 21 | -2 | -20 | -27 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 2.8 |
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.
- 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 Trapper Peak, closest first.
Waterfall
Fire LookoutWaterfall
Fire Lookout
Hot Spring
Mountain PassCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Rombo14.0 km (8.7 mi) · reservable
- Medicine Point Lookout17.2 km (10.7 mi) · reservable
- Fales Flat Campground19.6 km (12.2 mi) · reservable
- Crazy Creek Campground19.8 km (12.3 mi)
- Woods Cabin20.0 km (12.4 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Trapper Peak?
What time is golden hour at Trapper Peak?
Where does the sun rise and set at Trapper Peak?
Can you see the Milky Way from Trapper Peak?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Trapper Peak?
How far is Trapper Peak from Hamilton?
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.