Bissell Bridge — a covered bridge in Franklin County, Massachusetts — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It dates from 1951. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Bissell Bridge is a historic covered bridge on Heath Road (Massachusetts Route 8A) over Mill Brook in Charlemont, Massachusetts, United States. The TECO Enhanced Long through truss bridge was built in 1951 by the T. J. Harvey Company, to a design by the Timber Engineering Company (TECO) and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (DOT). The bridge is 92 feet (28 m) long, and rests on stone-faced reinforced concrete abutments. Mill Brook passes fifteen to twenty feet below the bridge at normal water levels. It was the first covered bridge to be built in Massachusetts in the 20th century, replacing an earlier covered bridge that dated to about 1881.From the Wikipedia article “Bissell Bridge (Massachusetts)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bissell Bridge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 122° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 304° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 71° in summer but only 24° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:56 AM | 90° E | 7:04 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:15 AM | 57° ENE | 8:34 PM | 304° NW | 71° | 15h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:39 AM | 89° E | 6:51 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:19 AM | 122° ESE | 4:22 PM | 238° WSW | 24° | 9h 03m |
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 | 6:48 AM | 7:20 AM | 8:04 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:43 PM | 5:15 PM | 9h 24m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:53 PM | 10h 34m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:21 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:26 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:42 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:49 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:33 PM | 8:03 PM | 13h 22m |
| May | 4:58 AM | 5:30 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 37m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:14 AM | 5:57 AM | 7:49 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:07 PM | 15h 18m |
| July | 4:54 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:09 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:28 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 01m |
| August | 5:28 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:55 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 56m |
| September | 6:04 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:09 AM | 6:26 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:37 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:43 AM | 5:32 PM | 6:11 PM | 6:39 PM | 11h 06m |
| November | 6:13 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:26 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:30 PM | 5:01 PM | 9h 47m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:15 AM | 8:01 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:52 PM | 9h 04m |
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 Bissell Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 18° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:32 AM – 5:22 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:35 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:36 AM – 3:26 AM | 2.8 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:48 PM – 2:48 AM | 4.0 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:37 PM – 1:27 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:43 PM – 11:33 PM | 1.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:39 PM – 9:29 PM | 0.8 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.86 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ 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 51% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 63 | 67 | 74 | 87 | 87 | 90 | 97 | 99 | 96 | 85 | 72 | 67 |
| Low °F | -22 | -19 | -13 | 12 | 27 | 36 | 48 | 47 | 36 | 18 | 2 | -13 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
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.
- 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 Bissell Bridge, closest first.
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Covered Bridge
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Natural ArchFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bissell Bridge?
What time is golden hour at Bissell Bridge?
Where does the sun rise and set at Bissell Bridge?
Can you see the Milky Way from Bissell Bridge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Bissell Bridge?
How far is Bissell Bridge from Charlemont?
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.