Crawfordsville Bridge is a covered bridge in Linn County, Oregon. It sits roughly 10.7 km (6.6 mi) WSW of Sweet Home. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Crawfordsville Bridge spans the Calapooia River adjacent to Oregon Route 228 near the community of Crawfordsville in Linn County, Oregon, United States. The 105-foot Howe truss type bridge was built in 1932. The bridge was bypassed in 1963 and is now maintained by the Linn County Parks & Recreation Department as a pedestrian bridge across the river. Since 1990, the bridge has been the site of a Bridge Day festival held annually in the summer. A small park next to the bridge includes a picnic table and fire pit. The bridge was featured in the 1976 television movie The Flood. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.From the Wikipedia article “Crawfordsville Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Crawfordsville Bridge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:15 AM | 90° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:28 AM | 55° NE | 9:00 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:59 AM | 89° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:45 AM | 123° ESE | 4:36 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 50m |
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 | 7:12 AM | 7:45 AM | 8:31 AM | 4:12 PM | 4:58 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:11 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 6:56 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:39 PM | 7:18 PM | 7:47 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:58 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 5:11 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:06 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 4:51 AM | 5:27 AM | 6:12 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:35 PM | 15h 31m |
| July | 5:07 AM | 5:42 AM | 6:25 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:54 PM | 9:29 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:44 AM | 6:15 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:22 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:24 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:58 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:07 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:29 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:37 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:02 PM | 4:46 PM | 5:17 PM | 9h 37m |
| December | 7:08 AM | 7:41 AM | 8:29 AM | 3:46 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:07 PM | 8h 52m |
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 Crawfordsville Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:04 AM – 5:44 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:01 AM – 4:31 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:07 AM – 3:37 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:24 PM – 2:54 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:09 PM – 1:39 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:10 PM – 11:40 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:02 PM – 9:32 PM | 0.5 | 13° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.22 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.5+ 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 28% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (78%). 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 | 68 | 68 | 73 | 86 | 97 | 98 | 106 | 103 | 98 | 87 | 78 | 61 |
| Low °F | 9 | 7 | 17 | 22 | 28 | 36 | 42 | 40 | 35 | 25 | 10 | 6 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.1 | 6.3 | 7.2 | 5.4 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 4.9 | 8.4 | 9.9 |
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 Crawfordsville Bridge, closest first.
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Shotgun Creek Recreation Site14.4 km (8.9 mi) · reservable
- Whispering Pines Horse Camp30 km (18 mi) · reservable
- Graham Corral Horse Campground30 km (18 mi) · reservable
- South Twin Lake Campground30 km (18 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Crawfordsville Bridge?
What time is golden hour at Crawfordsville Bridge?
Where does the sun rise and set at Crawfordsville Bridge?
Can you see the Milky Way from Crawfordsville Bridge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Crawfordsville Bridge?
How far is Crawfordsville Bridge from Sweet Home?
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.