Swann Covered Bridge is a covered bridge in Blount County, Alabama. The nearest town is Cleveland, about 2.3 km (1.4 mi) away (Swann Covered Bridge lies WNW of town). It dates from 1933. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Swann Covered Bridge, also called the Joy Covered Bridge or Swann-Joy Covered Bridge, is a county-owned, wood-and-metal combination style covered bridge that spans the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River in Blount County, Alabama, United States. It is located on Swann Bridge Road off State Route 79, just west of the town of Cleveland, about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Oneonta. Built in 1933, the 324-foot-long (99 m) bridge is a Town lattice truss with three spans. Its WGCB number is 01-05-05. The Swann Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 20, 1981. It is currently the longest existing historic covered bridge in Alabama and second longest in the state overall after the 334-foot-long (102 m) Twin Creek Covered Bridge in Midway, Alabama, which was built in 2000. The Swann Covered Bridge is maintained by the Blount County Commission and...From the Wikipedia article “Swann Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Swann 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 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 79° in summer but only 33° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:51 AM | 90° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:36 AM | 61° ENE | 8:02 PM | 299° WNW | 79° | 14h 25m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:35 AM | 89° E | 6:45 PM | 271° W | 56° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:49 AM | 118° ESE | 4:42 PM | 242° WSW | 33° | 9h 53m |
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 | 6:25 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:28 PM | 10h 08m |
| February | 6:07 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:07 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:56 PM | 10h 59m |
| March | 6:33 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:31 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:44 PM | 13h 02m |
| May | 5:18 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 55m |
| June | 5:06 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:29 PM | 14h 24m |
| July | 5:18 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 12m |
| August | 5:42 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:01 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:01 PM | 13h 26m |
| September | 6:05 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:03 AM | 6:22 PM | 6:55 PM | 7:20 PM | 12h 24m |
| October | 6:27 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:26 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 22m |
| November | 5:53 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:56 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:11 PM | 10h 24m |
| December | 6:18 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:40 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 54m |
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 Swann 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 | 4:24 AM – 5:04 AM | 0.7 | 16° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:37 AM – 5:27 AM | 1.8 | 24° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:35 AM – 4:45 AM | 3.2 | 27° | SE → S |
| May | 11:38 PM – 3:58 AM | 4.3 | 27° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:44 PM – 3:44 AM | 6.0 | 27° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:40 PM – 2:20 AM | 4.7 | 27° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:06 PM – 12:16 AM | 3.2 | 27° | S → SW |
| September | 8:19 PM – 10:19 PM | 2.0 | 24° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:36 PM – 8:16 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.29 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 43% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (62%). 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 | 74 | 79 | 85 | 90 | 95 | 108 | 105 | 107 | 103 | 101 | 88 | 78 |
| Low °F | 7 | 15 | 20 | 26 | 38 | 52 | 55 | 53 | 41 | 28 | 18 | 17 |
| Precip. (in) | 4.4 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 4.1 | 5.1 |
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
- 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.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Swann Covered Bridge, closest first.
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Scenic ViewpointScenic ViewpointFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Swann Covered Bridge?
What time is golden hour at Swann Covered Bridge?
Where does the sun rise and set at Swann Covered Bridge?
Can you see the Milky Way from Swann Covered Bridge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Swann Covered Bridge?
How far is Swann Covered Bridge from Cleveland?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, OpenStreetMap contributors, 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.