Rochester covered bridge - three miles northwest of Sutherlin, Oregon. See List of Oregon covered bridges
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43.4017° N123.3629° WBortle 4Los Angeles

Rochester Covered Bridge Photography Guide

Covered Bridge in Douglas County, Oregon

  • Bortle 4 sky
  • Sunset azimuth 238°–304°
  • Clearest: July
  • Milky Way Mar–Sep
Photo: Scott Catron · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Located in Douglas County, Oregon, Rochester Covered Bridge is a covered bridge. It sits roughly 4.3 km (2.7 mi) WNW of Sutherlin.

Rochester Covered Bridge is a covered bridge in Douglas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Built by Floyd Frear in 1933, it carries Rochester Road over Calapooya Creek about 3 miles (5 km) west of Sutherlin. The bridge design, which Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon calls "unique among Oregon's housed structures", includes side windows with curved tops. The bridge has four windows on each side, portals with flat arched openings, and exposed false beams at the gable ends. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, after county workers burned down another covered bridge in the vicinity in the late 1950s, a group of armed local residents guarded the Rochester Bridge one night to protect it from the same fate. The next day, county commissioners told the residents that the bridge would not be burned. In 1969, the county remodeled the bridge by replacing portal boarding,...From the Wikipedia article “Rochester Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Nearest town
Sutherlin
4.3 km (2.7 mi)
Sky darkness
Bortle 4
Rural / suburban transition
Clearest month
July
31% cloud
Milky Way peak
June
3.8 h window
Golden hour (Oct)
5:53 PM
sunset 6:32 PM

Light at Rochester Covered Bridge

Live
Sunrise
7:34 AM
Sunset
6:24 PM
Golden hour AM
7:16 AM – 8:13 AM
Golden hour PM
5:44 PM – 6:41 PM
Blue hour AM
7:05 AM – 7:16 AM
Blue hour PM
6:41 PM – 6:53 PM
Full darkness
7:59 PM – 6:00 AM
Moon
Waxing Gibbous · 71%
Moonrise / set
3:51 PM / 1:28 AM
Day length
10h 49m
Sunrise azimuth
104°
Sunset azimuth
257°
000306091215182124
NightTwilightBlue hourGolden hourDaylight

Times in America/Los Angeles. Golden hour = sun −4° to +6°; blue hour = −6° to −4°.

Clouds at sunrise & sunset

NWS

Hourly sky cover from the National Weather Service. 20–60% cloud often gives the most colorful sunrises and sunsets.

Sunrise & sunset directions

At Rochester Covered 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.

NESW60°30°
June solsticeEquinoxesDecember solstice
DateSunriseAzimuthSunsetAzimuthNoon sunDaylight
March equinox (Mar 20)7:17 AM90° E7:26 PM271° W47°12h 09m
June solstice (Jun 21)5:34 AM56° NE8:58 PM304° NW70°15h 25m
September equinox (Sep 22)7:01 AM89° E7:12 PM271° W47°12h 11m
December solstice (Dec 21)7:44 AM122° ESE4:41 PM238° WSW23°8h 57m

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 startsSunriseGolden hour endsGolden hour startsSunsetBlue hour endsDaylight
January7:12 AM7:44 AM8:28 AM4:18 PM5:03 PM5:35 PM9h 19m
February6:43 AM7:13 AM7:53 AM5:04 PM5:44 PM6:14 PM10h 32m
March6:58 AM7:26 AM8:04 AM6:42 PM7:20 PM7:48 PM11h 54m
April6:02 AM6:32 AM7:10 AM7:18 PM7:56 PM8:26 PM13h 25m
May5:17 AM5:50 AM6:31 AM7:50 PM8:31 PM9:04 PM14h 42m
June4:57 AM5:33 AM6:17 AM8:13 PM8:57 PM9:32 PM15h 23m
July5:13 AM5:47 AM6:30 AM8:10 PM8:53 PM9:27 PM15h 06m
August5:49 AM6:19 AM6:59 AM7:39 PM8:18 PM8:49 PM13h 59m
September6:25 AM6:54 AM7:31 AM6:48 PM7:25 PM7:54 PM12h 32m
October6:59 AM7:28 AM8:07 AM5:53 PM6:32 PM7:00 PM11h 04m
November6:37 AM7:08 AM7:51 AM4:07 PM4:50 PM5:21 PM9h 42m
December7:07 AM7:40 AM8:27 AM3:52 PM4:39 PM5:12 PM8h 59m

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 Rochester Covered 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 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.

MonthCore visible (15th)HoursMax altitudeDirection
JanuaryBelow 10° in darkness—-4°—
FebruaryBelow 10° in darkness—8°—
March5:05 AM – 5:45 AM0.714°SSE → SSE
April3:00 AM – 4:40 AM1.717°SSE → S
May1:04 AM – 3:44 AM2.718°SSE → S
June11:18 PM – 3:08 AM3.818°SSE → SSW
July11:05 PM – 1:45 AM2.718°S → SSW
August10:08 PM – 11:48 PM1.717°S → SSW
September9:03 PM – 9:43 PM0.714°SSW → SSW
OctoberBelow 10° in darkness—8°—
NovemberBelow 10° in darkness—-2°—
DecemberBelow 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 ≈ 20.65 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 31% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (79%). 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 (%)

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
High °F65707585929810110498907461
Low °F182025263240434639262213
Precip. (in)7.36.16.24.32.41.40.20.41.73.87.49.3

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.

Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)

FAQ

When is the best time to photograph Rochester Covered Bridge?
July has the clearest skies on average; june is best for the milky way core. For light, plan around the first and last hour of sun. Peak fall color is the classic season; winter snow and spring blossoms are less crowded alternatives.
What time is golden hour at Rochester Covered Bridge?
In October the evening golden hour starts around 5:53 PM and ends after sunset at about 6:32 PM; the morning golden hour lasts until about 8:07 AM. Use the live widget above for exact times on any date.
Where does the sun rise and set at Rochester Covered Bridge?
Sunrise azimuth ranges from about 56° in June to 122° in December; sunset ranges from 304° to 238°. See the sun-path diagram for the full arc.
Can you see the Milky Way from Rochester Covered Bridge?
Yes — the core is visible from March to September on moonless nights. The estimated sky quality is Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition).
Do you need a permit to photograph at Rochester Covered Bridge?
Personal photography from public land rarely needs a permit. Commercial shoots, models, large groups and drones may require permission from the land manager — check before you go.
How far is Rochester Covered Bridge from Sutherlin?
About 4.3 km (2.7 mi) in a straight line; driving distance is usually longer, especially in mountain terrain.

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.