County Farm Bridge is a covered bridge in Strafford County, New Hampshire. The nearest town is Madbury, about 5.9 km (3.7 mi) away (County Farm Bridge lies NNW of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The County Farm Bridge was a historic covered bridge spanning the Cocheco River in Dover, New Hampshire. A Howe truss bridge, it was built about 1875 to serve the adjacent county farm complex, and was destroyed by fire in 1981. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The bridge site now has a pedestrian bridge.From the Wikipedia article “County Farm Bridge (Dover, New Hampshire)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At County Farm Bridge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) 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 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:48 AM | 90° E | 6:56 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:05 AM | 56° NE | 8:28 PM | 304° NW | 70° | 15h 23m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:32 AM | 89° E | 6:43 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:13 AM | 122° ESE | 4:12 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 59m |
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 | 6:42 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:58 AM | 3:49 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:05 PM | 9h 20m |
| February | 6:14 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:35 PM | 5:15 PM | 5:44 PM | 10h 32m |
| March | 6:29 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:35 AM | 6:12 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:19 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:33 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:41 AM | 6:48 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:56 PM | 13h 24m |
| May | 4:48 AM | 5:21 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:20 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:34 PM | 14h 40m |
| June | 4:29 AM | 5:04 AM | 5:47 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:26 PM | 9:02 PM | 15h 22m |
| July | 4:44 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:40 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 15h 05m |
| August | 5:19 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:48 PM | 8:19 PM | 13h 58m |
| September | 5:55 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:02 AM | 6:18 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:24 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:29 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:37 AM | 5:24 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:31 PM | 11h 05m |
| November | 6:07 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:20 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:21 PM | 4:52 PM | 9h 44m |
| December | 6:37 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:23 PM | 4:10 PM | 4:42 PM | 9h 00m |
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 County Farm Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.8 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 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 9° | — |
| March | 4:26 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.8 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:30 AM – 4:10 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:33 AM – 3:13 AM | 2.7 | 18° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:46 PM – 2:36 AM | 3.8 | 18° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:34 PM – 1:24 AM | 2.8 | 18° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:38 PM – 11:18 PM | 1.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:33 PM – 9:13 PM | 0.7 | 14° | 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 19.73 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 50% average cloud cover) and May as the cloudiest (66%). 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 | 60 | 61 | 73 | 85 | 83 | 89 | 90 | 95 | 94 | 79 | 68 | 62 |
| Low °F | -11 | -12 | -6 | 18 | 31 | 40 | 51 | 48 | 39 | 25 | 8 | -9 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 5.0 |
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
- 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.
- Autumn foliage peaks are the most popular time — visit on weekdays to avoid crowds.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
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 County Farm Bridge, closest first.
State Park
Waterfall
National Wildlife RefugeWaterfall
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph County Farm Bridge?
What time is golden hour at County Farm Bridge?
Where does the sun rise and set at County Farm Bridge?
Can you see the Milky Way from County Farm Bridge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at County Farm Bridge?
How far is County Farm Bridge from Madbury?
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.