Located in Bear Lake County, Idaho, Bear Lake State Park is a state park. The nearest town is Montpelier, about 24 km (15 mi) away (Bear Lake State Park lies S of town).
Bear Lake State Park (sometimes called North Beach State Park) is a public recreation area bordering the north and eastern shores of Bear Lake in the southeast corner of Bear Lake County, Idaho, near the Utah and Wyoming state lines. The state park sits across the lake from St. Charles and is fifteen miles (24 km) south of Montpelier. Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge lies adjacent to the park's north unit.From the Wikipedia article “Bear Lake State Park (Idaho)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bear Lake State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:29 AM | 90° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:50 AM | 57° ENE | 9:05 PM | 303° WNW | 71° | 15h 15m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:51 AM | 122° ESE | 4:57 PM | 239° WSW | 24° | 9h 06m |
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
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:21 AM | 7:52 AM | 8:35 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:19 PM | 5:50 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 5:19 PM | 5:58 PM | 6:27 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 7:10 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:15 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:32 PM | 8:00 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:16 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:35 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:05 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:11 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 5:15 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:32 AM | 8:21 PM | 9:03 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 14m |
| July | 5:30 AM | 6:03 AM | 6:44 AM | 8:19 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:34 PM | 14h 57m |
| August | 6:03 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:38 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:43 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:05 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 7:10 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:07 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:13 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:46 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:05 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 7:16 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:32 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:27 PM | 9h 08m |
Local time (America/Boise), 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 Bear Lake State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 5:05 AM – 5:55 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:57 AM – 4:57 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:56 AM – 4:06 AM | 3.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| June | 11:15 PM – 3:35 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:05 PM – 2:15 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 10:14 PM – 12:14 AM | 2.0 | 18° | S → SW |
| September | 9:11 PM – 10:11 PM | 1.0 | 15° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
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 ≈ 21.8 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 35% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 35 | 43 | 63 | 74 | 83 | 89 | 96 | 94 | 86 | 78 | 61 | 43 |
| Low °F | -24 | -19 | -14 | -6 | 17 | 22 | 35 | 32 | 22 | 2 | -18 | -24 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 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 state park
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.
Suggested gear: Versatile zoom lens, Tripod, Park pass. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Bear Lake State Park, closest first.
National Wildlife Refuge
Lake
State Park
Cave
Scenic Viewpoint
National Wildlife Refuge
Canyon
Lake
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- St. Charles Campground14.3 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
- Davis Canyon Campground17.8 km (11.1 mi) · reservable
- Porcupine (Id)20 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Paris Springs Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
- Cloverleaf Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bear Lake State Park?
What time is golden hour at Bear Lake State Park?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bear Lake State Park?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bear Lake State Park?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bear Lake State Park?
How far is Bear Lake State Park from Montpelier?
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.