Located in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1 is a covered bridge. The nearest town is Light Street, about 8.2 km (5.1 mi) away (Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1 lies N of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1, also known as the Laubach Covered Bridge, was a historic wooden covered bridge located at Sugarloaf Township in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. It was a 126-foot-long (38 m), Burr Truss arch bridge with a tin roof constructed in 1871. It crossed Fishing Creek and was one of 28 historic covered bridges in Columbia and Montour Counties. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1979, but collapsed on July 19, 1981. The salvaged wreckage of the bridge was purchased by Ed Campbell, who built a small scale "replica" of the bridge at his restaurant in Orange Township in 1983. The bridge was removed from the NRHP in 1986.From the Wikipedia article “Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1 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) | 7:10 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 57° ENE | 8:42 PM | 303° WNW | 72° | 15h 08m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:28 AM | 121° ESE | 4:41 PM | 239° WSW | 25° | 9h 13m |
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 | 6:59 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:12 AM | 4:19 PM | 5:02 PM | 5:32 PM | 9h 33m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:40 AM | 5:02 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:08 PM | 10h 39m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:55 AM | 6:36 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 5:59 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:09 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:14 PM | 13h 18m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:17 PM | 8:49 PM | 14h 29m |
| June | 5:00 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:15 AM | 7:59 PM | 8:41 PM | 9:14 PM | 15h 07m |
| July | 5:14 AM | 5:47 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:57 PM | 8:38 PM | 9:10 PM | 14h 51m |
| August | 5:46 AM | 6:16 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 50m |
| September | 6:19 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:17 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 30m |
| October | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:49 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:54 PM | 11h 09m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:35 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:48 PM | 5:18 PM | 9h 54m |
| December | 6:54 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:09 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:10 PM | 9h 14m |
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 Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1, 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 | 2:34 AM – 4:44 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:31 AM – 3:51 AM | 3.3 | 20° | SE → S |
| June | 10:48 PM – 3:18 AM | 4.5 | 20° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:39 PM – 1:59 AM | 3.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| August | 9:50 PM – 12:00 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:51 PM – 10:01 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:58 PM – 7:58 PM | 0.0 | 11° | 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 ≈ 20.92 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
- 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 Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1, closest first.
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Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1?
What time is golden hour at Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1?
Where does the sun rise and set at Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1?
Can you see the Milky Way from Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1?
How far is Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1 from Light Street?
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.