Grants Mills Bridge — a covered bridge in Ulster County, New York — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Livingston Manor, about 26 km (16 mi) away (Grants Mills Bridge lies NE of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Grant Mills Bridge, officially the Millbrook Bridge, is a wooden covered bridge over Mill Brook in Hardenburgh, New York, United States. It is one of 29 covered bridges in the state. It was built in 1902 by a pair of local builders in the lattice truss design perfected early in the previous century by Ithiel Town. It was taken out of service in 1964 when Mill Brook Road was relocated a short distance to the south, but remains in excellent condition and is open to foot traffic. In 1999, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.From the Wikipedia article “Grants Mills Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Grants Mills 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 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (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) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:24 AM | 57° ENE | 8:39 PM | 303° WNW | 71° | 15h 15m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:58 PM | 271° W | 48° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:24 AM | 122° ESE | 4:30 PM | 239° WSW | 24° | 9h 06m |
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 | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:09 PM | 4:52 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 27m |
| February | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:52 PM | 5:31 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 36m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:48 AM | 6:28 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:50 AM | 6:19 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 21m |
| May | 5:07 AM | 5:39 AM | 6:19 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:13 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 34m |
| June | 4:48 AM | 5:23 AM | 6:05 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 14m |
| July | 5:03 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 57m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:07 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 54m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:10 PM | 7:38 PM | 12h 31m |
| October | 6:43 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:40 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 07m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:31 AM | 3:57 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 49m |
| December | 6:49 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:06 AM | 3:43 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:00 PM | 9h 08m |
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 Grants Mills Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 19° 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 | — | -3° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| March | 4:39 AM – 5:29 AM | 0.8 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:31 AM – 4:31 AM | 2.0 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:40 AM – 3:40 AM | 3.0 | 19° | SSE → S |
| June | 10:49 PM – 3:09 AM | 4.3 | 19° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 1:49 AM | 3.2 | 19° | S → SW |
| August | 9:48 PM – 11:48 PM | 2.0 | 18° | S → SW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 9:46 PM | 1.0 | 15° | SSW → SW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 10° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 20.97 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 53% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 61 | 70 | 72 | 83 | 86 | 88 | 92 | 95 | 91 | 83 | 71 | 66 |
| Low °F | -21 | -17 | -16 | 9 | 26 | 34 | 44 | 44 | 32 | 17 | -3 | -5 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 3.8 |
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
- 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.
- Overcast days keep contrast low between the dark interior and the bright surroundings.
- 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 Grants Mills Bridge, closest first.
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Mountain PeakFAQ
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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.