North Fork of the Yachats Bridge — a covered bridge in Lincoln County, Oregon — is a popular subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 15.2 km (9.4 mi) SSE of Waldport. It dates from 1938. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The North Fork of the Yachats Bridge is a covered bridge in Lincoln County in the U.S. state of Oregon. The bridge carries North Fork Yachats River Road over the north fork of the Yachats River, about 9 miles (14 km) northeast (by river roads) of Yachats and the Pacific Ocean. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Otis Hamer, a veteran constructor of bridges, built the queen post truss structure for Lincoln County in 1938. It was the last of his covered bridges. At 42 feet (13 m) long, the bridge is one of the shortest covered bridges in Oregon. It is one of only two covered bridges in Lincoln County that are open to vehicular traffic; the other is the Chitwood Bridge. The weight limit on the bridge is ten tons; large trucks and recreational vehicles (RV)s are not allowed. After an accident damaged the bridge in 1987, county crews repaired it....From the Wikipedia article “North Fork of the Yachats Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At North Fork of the Yachats 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) | 7:20 AM | 90° E | 7:28 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:33 AM | 55° NE | 9:04 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:04 AM | 89° E | 7:15 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:49 AM | 123° ESE | 4:40 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 51m |
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 | 7:17 AM | 7:49 AM | 8:35 AM | 4:17 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:35 PM | 9h 14m |
| February | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:05 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 29m |
| March | 7:00 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:07 AM | 6:44 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:51 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 6:02 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:21 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 28m |
| May | 5:16 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:32 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 47m |
| June | 4:55 AM | 5:32 AM | 6:17 AM | 8:18 PM | 9:02 PM | 9:39 PM | 15h 30m |
| July | 5:11 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:30 AM | 8:15 PM | 8:58 PM | 9:34 PM | 15h 12m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:20 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:43 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 03m |
| September | 6:27 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:34 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:28 PM | 7:57 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 7:02 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:11 AM | 5:54 PM | 6:33 PM | 7:02 PM | 11h 02m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:06 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:22 PM | 9h 38m |
| December | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:33 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:11 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 North Fork of the Yachats 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 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -5° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| March | 5:09 AM – 5:49 AM | 0.7 | 13° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:06 AM – 4:36 AM | 1.5 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:12 AM – 3:42 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:29 PM – 2:59 AM | 3.5 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:14 PM – 1:44 AM | 2.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:15 PM – 11:45 PM | 1.5 | 16° | S → SSW |
| September | 9:07 PM – 9:37 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: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.73 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 34% 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 | 61 | 64 | 71 | 79 | 86 | 89 | 87 | 89 | 94 | 80 | 66 | 61 |
| Low °F | 19 | 23 | 24 | 30 | 34 | 41 | 45 | 46 | 40 | 25 | 24 | 13 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.6 | 6.3 | 6.9 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 8.6 | 10.3 |
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.
- Shoot from the stream bank to show the bridge, the water and its reflection together.
- 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 North Fork of the Yachats Bridge, closest first.
National Forest
Wilderness Area
Waterfall
Covered Bridge
State Park
State Park
State Park
Lighthouse
State ParkCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Canal Creek9.9 km (6.1 mi) · reservable
- Cape Perpetua10.9 km (6.8 mi) · reservable
- Tillicum11.6 km (7.2 mi) · reservable
- Blackberry12.7 km (7.9 mi) · reservable
- Rock Creek Oregon Coast (Siuslaw National Forest, Or)18.1 km (11.3 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph North Fork of the Yachats Bridge?
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Where does the sun rise and set at North Fork of the Yachats Bridge?
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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.