Beula is a ghost town in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. It sits roughly 4.1 km (2.5 mi) WSW of Ebensburg.
Beula, or Beulah, Pennsylvania was a town that existed between 1796 and 1804 in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, founded by Welsh Minister Morgan John Rhys. The original settlers under the guidance of Rhys had bought the land from Dr. Benjamin Rush, in search of a home in the countryside. They originally planned on settling in western Ohio, but it took too long to secure land in that region, so the Pennsylvania tract was settled upon. Two members of Rhys's party would go on to found Paddy's Run, Ohio. Rhys intended for Beula to be a cattle range. The Welsh were inspired to settle down in America by their religion (being Welsh Dissenters), the politics of the era, and as well as the Prince Madoc myth - that a Welsh Prince had discovered America in the 1100s. It is one of the few ghost towns mentioned as a part of Pennsylvania's Ghost Town Trail.From the Wikipedia article “Beula, Pennsylvania”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Beula the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (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 73° in summer but only 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:19 AM | 90° E | 7:27 PM | 271° W | 49° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:46 AM | 58° ENE | 8:50 PM | 303° WNW | 73° | 15h 04m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:03 AM | 89° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:36 AM | 121° ESE | 4:52 PM | 239° WSW | 26° | 9h 17m |
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
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:07 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:19 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:13 PM | 5:43 PM | 9h 36m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:48 AM | 5:12 PM | 5:51 PM | 6:19 PM | 10h 41m |
| March | 7:01 AM | 7:28 AM | 8:04 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:22 PM | 7:49 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:09 AM | 6:37 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:17 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:22 PM | 13h 17m |
| May | 5:29 AM | 6:00 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 25m |
| June | 5:12 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:26 AM | 8:07 PM | 8:48 PM | 9:21 PM | 15h 03m |
| July | 5:26 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:05 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:17 PM | 14h 47m |
| August | 5:57 AM | 6:27 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:44 PM | 13h 48m |
| September | 6:29 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:50 PM | 7:26 PM | 7:53 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:59 AM | 7:26 AM | 8:03 AM | 6:00 PM | 6:37 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 10m |
| November | 6:33 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:19 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:28 PM | 9h 57m |
| December | 7:01 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:16 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:21 PM | 9h 18m |
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 Beula, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 21° 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 | 5:32 AM – 5:32 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:43 AM – 5:53 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:42 AM – 4:52 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:37 AM – 3:57 AM | 3.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:53 PM – 3:33 AM | 4.7 | 21° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:44 PM – 2:14 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:57 PM – 12:07 AM | 2.2 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:59 PM – 10:09 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:07 PM – 8:07 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 ≈ 20.76 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 September as the clearest month (about 55% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (79%). 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 | 64 | 70 | 76 | 82 | 91 | 94 | 94 | 95 | 92 | 88 | 74 | 70 |
| Low °F | -11 | -12 | -1 | 19 | 23 | 37 | 45 | 46 | 36 | 21 | 9 | 2 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 3.2 |
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 ghost town
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Beula, closest first.
WaterfallWaterfall
State Park
Mountain PeakFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Beula?
What time is golden hour at Beula?
Where does the sun rise and set at Beula?
Can you see the Milky Way from Beula?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Beula?
How far is Beula from Ebensburg?
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.