Located in Cascade County, Montana, Lewis and Clark National Forest is a national forest. The nearest town is Great Falls, about 37 km (23 mi) away (Lewis and Clark National Forest lies SSW of town).
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is located in west-central Montana, United States. Spanning 2.8-million acres. The region was inhabited by various cultures of Native Americans for a period of at least 8,000–10,000 years. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition came to this area, different areas of the large forest territory were used by members of the Blackfeet, Sioux, Cheyenne, Flathead and Crow nations for hunting and as an area for their seasonal winter camps. The forests provided shelter from the winter. The forest lands were defined and established by the federal government in 1897, following its Treaty of 1896 with the Blackfeet forced to cede lands and move to a reservation adjacent to the national forest. The forest is one of the oldest forest preserves in the U.S. The forest is named in honor of the members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which passed through the...From the Wikipedia article “Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Lewis and Clark National Forest the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 53° (NE) at the June solstice and 125° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 307° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 66° in summer but only 19° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:30 AM | 89° E | 7:39 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:31 AM | 53° NE | 9:26 PM | 307° NW | 66° | 15h 55m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:25 PM | 271° W | 43° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:10 AM | 125° SE | 4:39 PM | 235° SW | 19° | 8h 29m |
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
Forests suit soft light — overcast days reduce contrast under the canopy, and morning fog adds depth.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:34 AM | 8:08 AM | 8:58 AM | 4:14 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:38 PM | 8h 55m |
| February | 7:00 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:15 AM | 5:07 PM | 5:50 PM | 6:22 PM | 10h 18m |
| March | 7:09 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:20 AM | 6:51 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:02 PM | 11h 52m |
| April | 6:06 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:47 PM | 13h 36m |
| May | 5:14 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:35 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 05m |
| June | 4:50 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:18 AM | 8:36 PM | 9:24 PM | 10:04 PM | 15h 54m |
| July | 5:08 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:32 AM | 8:33 PM | 9:19 PM | 9:57 PM | 15h 33m |
| August | 5:50 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 15m |
| September | 6:33 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:44 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:10 PM | 12h 36m |
| October | 7:14 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:26 AM | 5:58 PM | 6:40 PM | 7:11 PM | 10h 55m |
| November | 6:57 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:18 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:25 PM | 9h 22m |
| December | 7:31 AM | 8:06 AM | 8:59 AM | 3:45 PM | 4:37 PM | 5:13 PM | 8h 31m |
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 Lewis and Clark National Forest, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 14° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | 5:54 AM – 5:54 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:49 AM – 4:39 AM | 0.8 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:57 AM – 3:27 AM | 1.5 | 14° | SSE → S |
| June | 12:24 AM – 2:24 AM | 2.0 | 14° | SSE → S |
| July | 11:58 PM – 1:18 AM | 1.3 | 14° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:42 PM – 11:22 PM | 0.7 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.85 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.5+ 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 March as the cloudiest (71%). 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 | 55 | 59 | 76 | 84 | 91 | 98 | 103 | 100 | 93 | 86 | 69 | 53 |
| Low °F | -30 | -26 | -25 | 7 | 18 | 34 | 42 | 40 | 18 | 5 | -12 | -19 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 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 national forest
- Fall color peaks vary by elevation; follow it downhill over several weeks.
- Dispersed camping is often allowed, which makes sunrise and night shoots easier — check local rules.
- Forest roads can close in winter or after storms; download offline maps.
- Fire restrictions may limit campfires and stoves in summer.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Autumn color and spring flowers draw photographers; winter brings snow-covered forests in the North and West.
Suggested gear: Polarizer, Tripod, Offline maps, Insect repellent. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Recreational drones are generally allowed in national forests outside designated wilderness, subject to FAA rules and temporary flight restrictions — wildfire TFRs are common in summer.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Lewis and Clark National Forest, closest first.
Waterfall
State Park
State Park
Scenic Viewpoint
State ParkWaterfallFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Lewis and Clark National Forest?
What time is golden hour at Lewis and Clark National Forest?
Where does the sun rise and set at Lewis and Clark National Forest?
Can you see the Milky Way from Lewis and Clark National Forest?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Lewis and Clark National Forest?
How far is Lewis and Clark National Forest from Great Falls?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, 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.