Mount Zion Covered Bridge is a covered bridge in Washington County, Kentucky. It sits roughly 10.6 km (6.6 mi) SSE of Bloomfield. It dates from 1871. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mount Zion Covered Bridge was a 280 feet (85 m) long Burr truss covered bridge near Mooresville, Kentucky. It was built in 1871 and burned down in 2021. For 150 years it spanned the Little Beech Fork north of Mooresville on Kentucky Route 458. The bridge had been closed to vehicular traffic when a new bridge was constructed beside it, but it remained a tourist attraction as the longest multi-span covered bridge in Kentucky. Beech Fork, Mooresville, and Mount Zion were all accepted names for the bridge. Mount Zion appears to be the most used historic name. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Records from 1871 indicate it to be 280 feet long and 18 feet wide, but a measurement taken by Kentucky's Department of Transportation in the 1970s measured it at 211 feet. During a 2015-2017 restoration of the bridge it was determined by the contractor, Arnold M....From the Wikipedia article “Mount Zion Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Zion Covered Bridge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 59° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 301° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 76° in summer but only 29° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:45 AM | 90° E | 7:53 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:20 AM | 59° ENE | 9:07 PM | 301° WNW | 76° | 14h 47m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:30 AM | 89° E | 7:40 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:54 AM | 120° ESE | 5:26 PM | 241° WSW | 29° | 9h 32m |
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 | 7:27 AM | 7:56 AM | 8:36 AM | 5:06 PM | 5:46 PM | 6:15 PM | 9h 50m |
| February | 7:05 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:08 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:47 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 7:27 AM | 7:53 AM | 8:28 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:49 PM | 8:15 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:39 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:42 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 10m |
| May | 6:03 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:09 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:14 PM | 14h 13m |
| June | 5:48 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:58 AM | 8:26 PM | 9:05 PM | 9:37 PM | 14h 46m |
| July | 6:01 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:10 AM | 8:25 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:34 PM | 14h 32m |
| August | 6:29 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:33 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:04 PM | 13h 38m |
| September | 6:57 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:58 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:51 PM | 8:17 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:24 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:25 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:31 PM | 11h 15m |
| November | 6:54 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:01 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:31 PM | 5:59 PM | 10h 09m |
| December | 7:21 AM | 7:50 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:43 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:53 PM | 9h 34m |
Local time (America/New York), 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 Mount Zion Covered Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 23° 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 | — | -1° | — |
| February | 5:39 AM – 5:59 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:46 AM – 6:16 AM | 1.5 | 20° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:50 AM – 5:30 AM | 2.7 | 23° | SE → S |
| May | 12:49 AM – 4:39 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → S |
| June | 11:00 PM – 4:20 AM | 5.3 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:54 PM – 2:54 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:13 PM – 12:53 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 9:20 PM – 10:50 PM | 1.5 | 20° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:32 PM – 8:52 PM | 0.3 | 13° | SW → SW |
| 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.26 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 8.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 46% average cloud cover) and February as the cloudiest (70%). 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 | 69 | 73 | 82 | 84 | 91 | 106 | 106 | 104 | 101 | 98 | 83 | 71 |
| Low °F | 0 | -3 | 0 | 22 | 34 | 46 | 53 | 50 | 38 | 25 | 8 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.6 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.8 |
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 covered bridge
- Overcast days keep contrast low between the dark interior and the bright surroundings.
- 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.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
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 Mount Zion Covered Bridge, closest first.
State Park
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Zion Covered Bridge?
What time is golden hour at Mount Zion Covered Bridge?
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How far is Mount Zion Covered Bridge from Bloomfield?
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.