Adirondack Natural Stone Bridge — a natural arch in Warren County, New York at about 283 m (928 ft) above sea level — is a classic subject for landscape photographers. It sits roughly 28 km (18 mi) NNW of Warrensburg.
Wikidata describes it as: “natural arch in Warren County, New York, United States”.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Adirondack Natural Stone Bridge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 56° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 238° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 70° in summer but only 23° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:00 AM | 90° E | 7:08 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:14 AM | 56° NE | 8:42 PM | 305° NW | 70° | 15h 27m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:43 AM | 89° E | 6:55 PM | 271° W | 47° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:27 AM | 123° ESE | 4:22 PM | 238° WSW | 23° | 8h 55m |
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
Arches glow when reflected light bounces off nearby rock — the underside of an arch often turns bright orange just after sunrise or before sunset.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:55 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:12 AM | 3:59 PM | 4:44 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 17m |
| February | 6:26 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:36 AM | 4:45 PM | 5:26 PM | 5:55 PM | 10h 30m |
| March | 6:40 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:24 PM | 7:02 PM | 7:30 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:43 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:39 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 26m |
| May | 4:58 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:14 PM | 8:47 PM | 14h 43m |
| June | 4:38 AM | 5:14 AM | 5:58 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:40 PM | 9:16 PM | 15h 26m |
| July | 4:53 AM | 5:28 AM | 6:11 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:36 PM | 9:11 PM | 15h 08m |
| August | 5:29 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:22 PM | 8:01 PM | 8:32 PM | 14h 01m |
| September | 6:07 AM | 6:35 AM | 7:13 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:08 PM | 7:37 PM | 12h 32m |
| October | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:34 PM | 6:14 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 03m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:34 AM | 3:48 PM | 4:31 PM | 5:02 PM | 9h 41m |
| December | 6:50 AM | 7:23 AM | 8:10 AM | 3:33 PM | 4:20 PM | 4:53 PM | 8h 56m |
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 Adirondack Natural Stone Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 17° 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 | — | 8° | — |
| March | 4:47 AM – 5:27 AM | 0.7 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 2:43 AM – 4:23 AM | 1.7 | 17° | SSE → S |
| May | 12:47 AM – 3:17 AM | 2.5 | 17° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:02 PM – 2:42 AM | 3.7 | 17° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 10:49 PM – 1:29 AM | 2.7 | 17° | S → SSW |
| August | 9:52 PM – 11:22 PM | 1.5 | 17° | S → SSW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 9:26 PM | 0.7 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 8° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| 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: 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 ≈ 21.72 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.0+ 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 52% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (76%). 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 | 59 | 68 | 75 | 82 | 86 | 94 | 97 | 92 | 90 | 78 | 69 | 65 |
| Low °F | -32 | -24 | -19 | 5 | 26 | 32 | 44 | 44 | 33 | 20 | -2 | -21 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.5 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
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 natural arch
- Never climb on arches; many are fragile and climbing is prohibited on park lands.
- Midday sun creates hard shadows, but can light the underside through reflection in narrow canyons.
- Frame distant features through the opening of the arch for a natural window.
- At night, arches make classic Milky Way foregrounds; low-level lighting or blue hour exposures keep the rock detailed.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Spring and autumn offer mild temperatures in desert arch country; summer heat is extreme at midday.
Suggested gear: Ultra-wide lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Plenty of water. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Adirondack Natural Stone Bridge, closest first.
FAQ
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Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames. 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.