Located in Lawrence County, Kentucky, Yatesville Covered Bridge is a covered bridge. The nearest town is Louisa, about 7.9 km (4.9 mi) away (Yatesville Covered Bridge lies WNW of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Yatesville Covered Bridge, in Lawrence County, Kentucky near Fallsburg, was built in 1907 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It was a 128 feet (39 m) single-span Howe truss bridge over Blaine Creek, located about 1,000 yards (0.91 km) off Yatesville Road, near the Kentucky border. It had board-and-batten siding open at the top under the eaves of the structure, and a corrugated tin roof. As of the NRHP listing in 1976, there was a "pulleyed steel sedan" about 25 yards (23 m) to the south, and the bridge was closed to vehicular traffic. While there were other beliefs about its function, the cable car system was in fact for U.S. Geological Survey measurement of flow rates of the creek. The bridge no longer exists. It was the last-surviving of three known covered bridges in Lawrence County, and was saved from demolition in 1965 by a letter-writing...From the Wikipedia article “Yatesville Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Yatesville 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 75° in summer but only 28° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:35 AM | 90° E | 7:43 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:09 AM | 59° ENE | 8:58 PM | 301° WNW | 75° | 14h 49m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:19 AM | 89° E | 7:29 PM | 271° W | 52° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:44 AM | 120° ESE | 5:15 PM | 241° WSW | 28° | 9h 31m |
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 | 7:18 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:27 AM | 4:55 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:04 PM | 9h 48m |
| February | 6:55 AM | 7:22 AM | 7:59 AM | 5:33 PM | 6:10 PM | 6:37 PM | 10h 48m |
| March | 7:17 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:18 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:38 PM | 8:04 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:29 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:31 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:34 PM | 13h 11m |
| May | 5:51 AM | 6:21 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:05 PM | 14h 14m |
| June | 5:36 AM | 6:08 AM | 6:47 AM | 8:17 PM | 8:56 PM | 9:28 PM | 14h 48m |
| July | 5:50 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:59 AM | 8:16 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:25 PM | 14h 34m |
| August | 6:18 AM | 6:46 AM | 7:23 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:54 PM | 13h 39m |
| September | 6:47 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:48 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:07 PM | 12h 27m |
| October | 7:13 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:16 AM | 6:19 PM | 6:54 PM | 7:21 PM | 11h 14m |
| November | 6:44 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:41 PM | 5:20 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 07m |
| December | 7:11 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:22 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:42 PM | 9h 32m |
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 Yatesville Covered Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.2 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:28 AM – 5:48 AM | 0.3 | 13° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:46 AM – 6:06 AM | 1.3 | 19° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:41 AM – 5:11 AM | 2.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| May | 12:41 AM – 4:31 AM | 3.8 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:53 PM – 4:03 AM | 5.2 | 23° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:46 PM – 2:46 AM | 4.0 | 23° | SSE → SW |
| August | 10:05 PM – 12:45 AM | 2.7 | 23° | S → SW |
| September | 9:10 PM – 10:40 PM | 1.5 | 19° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:22 PM – 8:42 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 ≈ 21.27 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.5+ 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 49% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (74%). 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 | 74 | 83 | 84 | 96 | 103 | 107 | 103 | 101 | 96 | 83 | 72 |
| Low °F | -4 | -3 | 5 | 22 | 31 | 40 | 52 | 50 | 39 | 26 | 15 | 3 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 3.6 |
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 Yatesville Covered Bridge, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- East Lynn Lake Shelters26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- Grayson Lake Damsite Shelters29 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Beech Fork Shelters29 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Yatesville Covered Bridge?
What time is golden hour at Yatesville Covered Bridge?
Where does the sun rise and set at Yatesville Covered Bridge?
Can you see the Milky Way from Yatesville Covered Bridge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Yatesville Covered Bridge?
How far is Yatesville Covered Bridge from Louisa?
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.