Great Bear Wilderness — a wilderness area in Flathead County, Montana — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 39 km (24 mi) ENE of Bigfork.
The Great Bear Wilderness is located in northern Montana, United States, within Flathead National Forest Created by an act of Congress in 1978, the wilderness comprises 286,700 acres (1,160 km2) and borders the Bob Marshall Wilderness on the north. The Great Bear and Bob Marshall Wildernesses, along with the Scapegoat Wilderness which borders the Bob Marshall to the south, collectively form the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, which is over 1.5 million acres (6,100 km2) of almost untouched landscape. Glacier National Park is separated from the Great Bear Wilderness by U.S. Highway 2. U.S. Wilderness Areas do not allow motorized or mechanized vehicles, including bicycles. Although camping and fishing are allowed with proper permit, no roads or buildings are constructed and there is also no logging or mining, in compliance with the 1964 Wilderness Act. Wilderness areas within National...From the Wikipedia article “Great Bear Wilderness”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Great Bear Wilderness the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 52° (NE) at the June solstice and 126° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 308° (NW) in June to 235° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 65° in summer but only 18° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:38 AM | 89° E | 7:47 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:35 AM | 52° NE | 9:39 PM | 308° NW | 65° | 16h 05m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:22 AM | 89° E | 7:34 PM | 271° W | 42° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 8:23 AM | 126° SE | 4:43 PM | 235° SW | 18° | 8h 20m |
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
Wilderness areas reward those who camp: being on location at sunrise and in the dark is the main advantage over day visitors.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:45 AM | 8:21 AM | 9:12 AM | 4:17 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:43 PM | 8h 47m |
| February | 7:10 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:26 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:57 PM | 6:29 PM | 10h 15m |
| March | 7:17 AM | 7:48 AM | 8:30 AM | 6:59 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:11 PM | 11h 51m |
| April | 6:12 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:58 PM | 13h 40m |
| May | 5:18 AM | 5:56 AM | 6:41 AM | 8:22 PM | 9:07 PM | 9:45 PM | 15h 12m |
| June | 4:53 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:23 AM | 8:48 PM | 9:37 PM | 10:19 PM | 16h 03m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:44 PM | 9:31 PM | 10:11 PM | 15h 41m |
| August | 5:55 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:13 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 20m |
| September | 6:41 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:53 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:20 PM | 12h 37m |
| October | 7:23 AM | 7:54 AM | 8:37 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:18 PM | 10h 53m |
| November | 7:08 AM | 7:42 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 15m |
| December | 7:43 AM | 8:19 AM | 9:13 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:42 PM | 5:18 PM | 8h 22m |
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 Great Bear Wilderness, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through July. May gives the longest window (about 1.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 13° 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 | — | -6° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| April | 4:11 AM – 4:41 AM | 0.5 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 2:15 AM – 3:15 AM | 1.0 | 13° | SSE → S |
| June | 1:00 AM – 2:00 AM | 1.0 | 13° | S → S |
| July | 12:21 AM – 1:11 AM | 0.8 | 12° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:56 PM – 11:16 PM | 0.3 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.91 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 39% average cloud cover) and March as the cloudiest (72%). 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 | 34 | 38 | 46 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 90 | 92 | 86 | 74 | 54 | 37 |
| Low °F | -32 | -39 | -37 | -12 | 15 | 23 | 34 | 32 | 13 | -3 | -27 | -40 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.2 |
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 wilderness area
- Group size limits and permits may apply; check with the managing agency.
- Practice Leave No Trace — camp on durable surfaces away from lakes and streams.
- Pack weight matters: a single zoom and a light tripod cover most situations.
- Night skies are often among the darkest in the country.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Most high wilderness is snow-free from July to September; lower deserts are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Lightweight tripod, Spare batteries, Headlamp, Navigation. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drones may not take off from or land in federally designated wilderness, where mechanized equipment is prohibited under the Wilderness Act.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Great Bear Wilderness, closest first.
Fire Lookout
Ghost Town
Glacier
Glacier
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Mountain PeakCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Devil Creek Campground11.5 km (7.1 mi) · reservable
- Devil'S Corkscrew Campground11.8 km (7.3 mi)
- Zips Place Cabin15.1 km (9.4 mi) · reservable
- Anna Creek Cabin15.5 km (9.6 mi) · reservable
- Murray Bay Campground (Mt)19.3 km (12.0 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Great Bear Wilderness?
What time is golden hour at Great Bear Wilderness?
Where does the sun rise and set at Great Bear Wilderness?
Can you see the Milky Way from Great Bear Wilderness?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Great Bear Wilderness?
How far is Great Bear Wilderness from Bigfork?
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.