Best places to see the eclipse in Montana
The intrepid can see the solar corona from Italian Peak in southwest Montana
You want to watch the Total Solar Eclipse in Montana? So climb a mountain. Seriously, there is no other way because the shadow of the moon only grazes Montana. Should you travel south and see a much longer Totality? Probably, yes, and do be careful if you read ‘Montana’ and presume the eclipse is visible all over Montana – IT IS NOT!
However, Totality can be glimpsed (and we really do mean glimpsed) in far southwestern Montana at 11:32 am MDT on August 21, 2017 only at Italian Peak, with the moon shadow leaving Montana before 11:33 am MDT on August 21, 2017.
All you have to do (!) is climb up Italian Peak in the Beaverhead Mountains of southwest Montana (though it’s officially in Idaho) and make sure you’re just north of the actual peak at the moment of 11:32 am MDT, so across the State border in Montana. Do that, and you will experience 49 seconds of Totality, and you will probably be alone up there.
Be very well prepared; this would be a daring backpacking adventure to a little-visited place on the Continental Divide, with dangerous wildlife, and far from settlements. There is an excellent map here and some advice here and here, but this would be completely at your own risk. If you want detail on this idea, read this fabulous post from Xavier Jubier – Montana & Iowa States Unequivocal Totality.
Photo Credit: www.summitpost.org
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