Sonestown Covered Bridge is a covered bridge in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania. The nearest town is Hughesville, about 18.3 km (11.4 mi) away (Sonestown Covered Bridge lies NE of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Sonestown Covered Bridge is a covered bridge over Muncy Creek in Davidson Township, Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. Built around 1850, it is 110 ft (34 m) long and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1980. It is named for the nearby unincorporated village of Sonestown in Davidson Township, and is also known as the Davidson Covered Bridge. It was built to provide access to a grist mill which operated until the early 20th century. Pennsylvania had the first covered bridge in the United States and has the most of any state in the 21st century. In most places, they were a transition between stone and metal bridges, with the roof and sides protecting the wooden structure from weather. The Sonestown bridge is a Burr arch truss type with a load-bearing arch sandwiching multiple vertical king posts for strength and rigidity. The bridge...From the Wikipedia article “Sonestown Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sonestown Covered Bridge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 57° (ENE) at the June solstice and 121° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 303° (WNW) in June to 239° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 72° in summer but only 25° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 57° ENE | 8:44 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 10m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:30 AM | 121° ESE | 4:41 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 11m |
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 | 7:00 AM | 7:31 AM | 8:13 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 31m |
| February | 6:34 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:41 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 38m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:19 AM | 7:56 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:41 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:15 PM | 13h 19m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:39 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 30m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:15 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:42 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 09m |
| July | 5:14 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:58 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:12 PM | 14h 53m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:29 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 13h 51m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:51 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 08m |
| November | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 53m |
| December | 6:55 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 12m |
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 Sonestown Covered Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.5 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 20° 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:23 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.0 | 10° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:35 AM – 5:45 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:35 AM – 4:45 AM | 2.2 | 19° | SE → S |
| May | 12:32 AM – 3:52 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:50 PM – 3:20 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:40 PM – 2:00 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:51 PM – 11:51 PM | 2.0 | 19° | S → SW |
| September | 8:51 PM – 9:51 PM | 1.0 | 16° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:58 PM – 7:58 PM | 0.0 | 10° | SW → SW |
| 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 ≈ 21.24 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 56% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (77%). 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 | 62 | 69 | 73 | 84 | 95 | 90 | 103 | 98 | 94 | 85 | 73 | 66 |
| Low °F | -15 | -15 | -12 | 17 | 25 | 37 | 44 | 45 | 34 | 22 | 1 | -1 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 3.4 |
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
- 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.
- Autumn foliage peaks are the most popular time — visit on weekdays to avoid crowds.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
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 Sonestown Covered Bridge, closest first.
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Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sonestown Covered Bridge?
What time is golden hour at Sonestown Covered Bridge?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sonestown Covered Bridge?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sonestown Covered Bridge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sonestown Covered Bridge?
How far is Sonestown Covered Bridge from Hughesville?
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.