Sugar Creek Covered Bridge — a covered bridge in Sangamon County, Illinois — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. The nearest town is Chatham, about 5.4 km (3.4 mi) away (Sugar Creek Covered Bridge lies SE of town). It dates from 1880. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sugar Creek Covered Bridge is a covered bridge which crosses Sugar Creek southeast of Chatham, Illinois. The Burr truss bridge is 110 feet (34 m) long and 30 feet (9.1 m) wide. The bridge was constructed by Thomas Black; sources disagree on the date of construction, placing it at either 1827 or 1880. The State of Illinois acquired the bridge in 1963 and extensively renovated it two years later. The bridge closed to traffic in 1984 and is now part of a local park with a picnic area. It is one of only five historic covered bridges in Illinois and is the oldest of the remaining bridges. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 9, 1978.From the Wikipedia article “Sugar Creek Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Sugar Creek Covered Bridge the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 58° (ENE) at the June solstice and 120° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 74° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:03 AM | 90° E | 7:11 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:32 AM | 58° ENE | 8:30 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 59m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:47 AM | 89° E | 6:57 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 120° ESE | 4:38 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 22m |
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 | 6:49 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:00 AM | 4:18 PM | 4:59 PM | 5:29 PM | 9h 41m |
| February | 6:24 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:30 AM | 4:58 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:03 PM | 10h 43m |
| March | 6:44 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:47 AM | 6:30 PM | 7:06 PM | 7:33 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:54 AM | 6:22 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:04 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:15 AM | 5:45 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 21m |
| June | 4:59 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:12 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:29 PM | 9:01 PM | 14h 57m |
| July | 5:12 AM | 5:44 AM | 6:24 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 42m |
| August | 5:43 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:49 AM | 7:19 PM | 7:56 PM | 8:25 PM | 13h 45m |
| September | 6:13 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:16 AM | 6:34 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:42 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:46 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:21 PM | 6:48 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:15 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:05 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:13 PM | 10h 01m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:56 AM | 3:54 PM | 4:36 PM | 5:07 PM | 9h 23m |
Local time (America/Chicago), 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 Sugar Creek Covered Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 4.8 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 5 (suburban sky), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:06 AM – 5:16 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:16 AM – 5:36 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:14 AM – 4:44 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:17 AM – 3:47 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:31 PM – 3:21 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:23 PM – 2:03 AM | 3.7 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:38 PM – 11:58 PM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:41 PM – 10:01 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:51 PM – 8:01 PM | 0.2 | 12° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| 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: 5 Bortle 5 — Suburban sky. The Milky Way is weak near the horizon and washed out overhead; long exposures pick up a sky glow. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.43 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 7.0+ 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 42% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (68%). 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 | 67 | 71 | 79 | 85 | 91 | 106 | 109 | 103 | 101 | 92 | 80 | 71 |
| Low °F | -15 | -13 | 1 | 20 | 32 | 40 | 49 | 49 | 36 | 24 | 9 | -11 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 2.8 |
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.
- Overcast days keep contrast low between the dark interior and the bright surroundings.
- 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 Sugar Creek Covered Bridge, closest first.
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Sugar Creek Covered Bridge?
What time is golden hour at Sugar Creek Covered Bridge?
Where does the sun rise and set at Sugar Creek Covered Bridge?
Can you see the Milky Way from Sugar Creek Covered Bridge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Sugar Creek Covered Bridge?
How far is Sugar Creek Covered Bridge from Chatham?
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.