Cedar Crossing Bridge — a covered bridge in Multnomah County, Oregon — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 2.9 km (1.8 mi) N of Happy Valley.
Cedar Crossing Bridge is a covered bridge in southeast Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Built in 1982, it carries Deardorff Road over Johnson Creek. The Oregon Department of Transportation notes that the bridge, even though it is covered, is "not a true covered bridge" because it does not use a timber truss for support. Cedar Crossing Bridge is the only covered bridge in Multnomah County. It replaced an older wooden truss bridge that had fallen into disrepair. Notable features of the 1982 bridge include five large windows on each side, an interior finished with knotty pine, a 24-foot (7.3 m) roadway, and a separate 5-foot (1.5 m) walkway for foot traffic.From the Wikipedia article “Cedar Crossing Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Cedar Crossing Bridge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:14 AM | 89° E | 7:23 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:22 AM | 55° NE | 9:03 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 41m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:58 AM | 89° E | 7:09 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:48 AM | 124° ESE | 4:30 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 42m |
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 | 7:14 AM | 7:47 AM | 8:34 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:53 PM | 5:26 PM | 9h 06m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:55 AM | 4:56 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 25m |
| March | 6:54 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:46 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:16 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:27 PM | 13h 31m |
| May | 5:06 AM | 5:40 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:09 PM | 14h 54m |
| June | 4:44 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:07 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:01 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 39m |
| July | 5:00 AM | 5:37 AM | 6:21 AM | 8:12 PM | 8:57 PM | 9:33 PM | 15h 20m |
| August | 5:39 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:53 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:19 PM | 8:52 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:28 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:23 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:46 PM | 6:26 PM | 6:56 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:38 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:55 AM | 3:56 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:13 PM | 9h 31m |
| December | 7:10 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:39 PM | 4:28 PM | 5:02 PM | 8h 44m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), 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 Cedar Crossing Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:15 AM – 5:35 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:15 AM – 4:25 AM | 1.2 | 15° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:15 AM – 3:25 AM | 2.2 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:38 PM – 2:38 AM | 3.0 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:21 PM – 1:21 AM | 2.0 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:16 PM – 11:26 PM | 1.2 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:05 PM – 9:25 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.5 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). August is the warmest month and December 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 | 62 | 66 | 74 | 84 | 93 | 100 | 105 | 104 | 101 | 87 | 67 | 61 |
| Low °F | 8 | 15 | 22 | 27 | 33 | 39 | 45 | 44 | 36 | 24 | 15 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.4 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 8.6 | 9.7 |
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 Cedar Crossing Bridge, closest first.
Botanical Garden
Rock Formation
Mountain Peak
Volcano
Botanical Garden
Mountain Peak
Botanical Garden
BeachBeachFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Cedar Crossing Bridge?
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How far is Cedar Crossing Bridge from Happy Valley?
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.