Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge — a covered bridge in DeKalb County, Alabama — is a lesser-known subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Fort Payne, about 14.9 km (9.3 mi) away (Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge lies NE of town).
The Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge is a privately owned wood & metal combination style covered bridge that spans the West Fork of the Little River in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. It is located on an access road between Shady Grove Dude Ranch and Cloudmont Ski & Golf Resort on Lookout Mountain, which is off County Road 614 near the town of Mentone. Coordinates are 34°32′3.51″N 85°35′56.47″W (34.534308, -85.599019). Originally built circa 1863, the 90-foot (27 m) bridge is a Stringer construction over three spans. Its current WGCB number is 01-25-A, formerly 01-25-02. It was rebuilt in 1980 over an existing cable bridge from the late 19th century. Due to its type of construction, the Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge is currently classified as a non-authentic covered bridge.From the Wikipedia article “Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:47 AM | 90° E | 6:54 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:31 AM | 61° ENE | 7:59 PM | 300° WNW | 79° | 14h 28m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:31 AM | 89° E | 6:41 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:46 AM | 118° ESE | 4:36 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 50m |
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
Covered bridges look their best with soft side-light and a backdrop of fall color, snow or fresh spring green.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:22 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:27 AM | 4:18 PM | 4:55 PM | 5:23 PM | 10h 06m |
| February | 6:03 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:04 AM | 4:51 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:52 PM | 10h 57m |
| March | 6:29 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:16 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:46 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:40 PM | 13h 03m |
| May | 5:13 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:06 PM | 13h 58m |
| June | 5:01 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:07 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:57 PM | 8:27 PM | 14h 27m |
| July | 5:13 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:20 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:25 PM | 14h 15m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:38 AM | 6:57 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:58 PM | 13h 28m |
| September | 6:01 AM | 6:26 AM | 6:59 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:51 PM | 7:16 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:23 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 5:35 PM | 6:09 PM | 6:35 PM | 11h 21m |
| November | 5:50 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:53 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:06 PM | 10h 22m |
| December | 6:15 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:21 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 51m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 27° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:20 AM – 5:00 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:34 AM – 5:24 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:32 AM – 4:32 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 11:36 PM – 3:56 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:42 PM – 3:42 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:38 PM – 2:18 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:03 PM – 12:13 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:15 PM – 10:15 PM | 2.0 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:32 PM – 8:12 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.37 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 45% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (64%). 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 | 72 | 77 | 84 | 86 | 94 | 107 | 105 | 105 | 101 | 99 | 87 | 74 |
| Low °F | 5 | 7 | 17 | 23 | 37 | 51 | 55 | 53 | 40 | 28 | 18 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.3 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 5.4 |
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 covered bridge
- Autumn foliage peaks are the most popular time — visit on weekdays to avoid crowds.
- Shoot from the stream bank to show the bridge, the water and its reflection together.
- Inside the bridge, the timber trusses make strong symmetrical compositions — use a tripod for long exposures.
- Many covered bridges still carry traffic; stay off the roadway and watch for vehicles.
- Overcast days keep contrast low between the dark interior and the bright surroundings.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Peak fall color is the classic season; winter snow and spring blossoms are less crowded alternatives.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Polarizer for foliage. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge, closest first.
Waterfall
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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.