White Butte — a mountain peak in Slope County, North Dakota at about 1,053 m (3,455 ft) above sea level — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It is part of Little Missouri National Grassland. It sits roughly 24 km (15 mi) NNE of Bowman.
White Butte is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of North Dakota. At an elevation of 3,506 ft (1,069 m), it is a prominent butte in Slope County, in the Badlands of the southwestern part of the state. It is located 3 miles (5 kilometers) east of U.S. 85 and about 6.5 mi (10 km) south of Amidon. The nearest town is Amidon, about seven miles to the northwest. The summit is located within the boundaries of the Little Missouri National Grassland and is about 35 miles (56 km) south of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It is on private property, owned by the Dennis family who live nearby. At the parking area, one mile due north of the trailhead, the family maintains a small mailbox-like receptacle for donations to help maintain the area, and requests a $5 contribution from visitors. From the trailhead, the trail itself is a 4-mile round trip. The Killdeer Mountains, 75 miles...From the Wikipedia article “White Butte (North Dakota)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At White Butte 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° (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) | 6:57 AM | 89° E | 7:06 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:02 AM | 54° NE | 8:50 PM | 306° NW | 67° | 15h 48m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:41 AM | 89° E | 6:53 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:34 AM | 124° SE | 4:10 PM | 236° SW | 20° | 8h 35m |
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 | 6:59 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:22 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:33 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 00m |
| February | 6:27 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:40 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:50 PM | 10h 21m |
| March | 6:37 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:59 PM | 7:29 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 5:35 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 34m |
| May | 4:45 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:20 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 59m |
| June | 4:22 AM | 5:01 AM | 5:48 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:27 PM | 15h 47m |
| July | 4:39 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:43 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 27m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:53 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:05 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 12m |
| September | 6:02 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:12 AM | 6:27 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 35m |
| October | 6:41 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:52 AM | 5:27 PM | 6:08 PM | 6:39 PM | 10h 57m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:42 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:55 PM | 9h 26m |
| December | 6:56 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:21 AM | 3:17 PM | 4:08 PM | 4:43 PM | 8h 37m |
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 White Butte, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.5 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 | 5:10 AM – 5:20 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:12 AM – 4:12 AM | 1.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:07 AM – 2:57 AM | 1.8 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:37 PM – 2:07 AM | 2.5 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:15 PM – 12:55 AM | 1.7 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:04 PM – 10:54 PM | 0.8 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:50 PM – 8:50 PM | 0.0 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| 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: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.94 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ 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 41% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (67%). 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 | 59 | 67 | 80 | 88 | 96 | 107 | 109 | 106 | 99 | 92 | 74 | 60 |
| Low °F | -20 | -17 | -15 | 3 | 22 | 34 | 47 | 42 | 29 | 3 | -6 | -22 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
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
- 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.
- 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 White Butte, closest first.
National Wildlife RefugeNational Wildlife RefugeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph White Butte?
What time is golden hour at White Butte?
Where does the sun rise and set at White Butte?
Can you see the Milky Way from White Butte?
Do you need a permit to photograph at White Butte?
How far is White Butte from Bowman?
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.