River Road Covered Bridge is a covered bridge in Orleans County, Vermont. The nearest town is Newport, about 15.0 km (9.3 mi) away (River Road Covered Bridge lies W of town). It dates from 1910. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The River Road Covered Bridge was a historic covered bridge, carrying Veilleux Road across the Missisquoi River in Troy, Vermont. Built in 1910, the Town lattice truss was the only surviving covered bridge in Troy from the historic period of covered bridge construction when it burned on February 6, 2021. It also exhibited some distinctive variations in construction from more typical Town lattices. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.From the Wikipedia article “River Road Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At River Road Covered 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 68° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:54 AM | 90° E | 7:02 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:04 AM | 55° NE | 8:40 PM | 305° NW | 68° | 15h 37m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:37 AM | 89° E | 6:49 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 123° ESE | 4:11 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 46m |
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 | 6:52 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:11 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 09m |
| February | 6:21 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:33 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:18 PM | 5:48 PM | 10h 26m |
| March | 6:34 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:42 AM | 6:17 PM | 6:56 PM | 7:25 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:35 AM | 6:06 AM | 6:45 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:05 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 4:47 AM | 5:22 AM | 6:04 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:12 PM | 8:46 PM | 14h 50m |
| June | 4:26 AM | 5:03 AM | 5:48 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:39 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 35m |
| July | 4:42 AM | 5:18 AM | 6:02 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:34 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 17m |
| August | 5:20 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:30 PM | 14h 06m |
| September | 5:59 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:08 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:03 PM | 7:32 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:36 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:26 PM | 6:06 PM | 6:36 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:16 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:32 AM | 3:38 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:54 PM | 9h 34m |
| December | 6:48 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:21 PM | 4:09 PM | 4:43 PM | 8h 48m |
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 River Road Covered Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 3.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° 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 | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 4:54 AM – 5:14 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:53 AM – 4:13 AM | 1.3 | 15° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:51 AM – 3:11 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:12 PM – 2:22 AM | 3.2 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:56 PM – 1:06 AM | 2.2 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:53 PM – 11:03 PM | 1.2 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:44 PM – 9:04 PM | 0.3 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| 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 ≈ 21.83 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show September as the clearest month (about 57% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (81%). 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 | 55 | 65 | 72 | 79 | 84 | 88 | 102 | 87 | 89 | 76 | 66 | 62 |
| Low °F | -31 | -31 | -23 | 9 | 24 | 33 | 43 | 41 | 28 | 20 | -1 | -24 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
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 River Road Covered Bridge, closest first.
Waterfall
Mountain Peak
Mountain Peak
Covered Bridge
Mountain Pass
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph River Road Covered Bridge?
What time is golden hour at River Road Covered Bridge?
Where does the sun rise and set at River Road Covered Bridge?
Can you see the Milky Way from River Road Covered Bridge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at River Road Covered Bridge?
How far is River Road Covered Bridge from Newport?
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.