Located in Washington County, Ohio, Rinard Covered Bridge is a covered bridge. The nearest town is New Matamoras, about 13.4 km (8.3 mi) away (Rinard Covered Bridge lies W of town). It dates from 1876. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Rinard Covered Bridge, near Marietta, Ohio, was built in 1876. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It is a Smith truss bridge built by the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo, Ohio and is a work of H. H. Townsend. It has also been known as Hendershott's Ford Bridge. It is located northeast of Wingett Run on County Road 406 in Ludlow Township, Washington County, Ohio. It spans the Little Muskingum River. The bridge was destroyed by a flash flood on September 18, 2004 and was rebuilt in 2006. It is covered in the Ohio Historic Places Dictionary.From the Wikipedia article “Rinard Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Rinard 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) | 7:29 AM | 90° E | 7:37 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:58 AM | 58° ENE | 8:56 PM | 302° WNW | 74° | 14h 58m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:13 AM | 89° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 51° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:43 AM | 120° ESE | 5:05 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 | 7:15 AM | 7:44 AM | 8:25 AM | 4:44 PM | 5:25 PM | 5:55 PM | 9h 41m |
| February | 6:51 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 5:24 PM | 6:02 PM | 6:29 PM | 10h 44m |
| March | 7:11 AM | 7:37 AM | 8:13 AM | 6:56 PM | 7:32 PM | 7:59 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 6:20 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:03 PM | 8:31 PM | 13h 14m |
| May | 5:41 AM | 6:12 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:54 PM | 8:32 PM | 9:03 PM | 14h 21m |
| June | 5:25 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:38 AM | 8:14 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:27 PM | 14h 57m |
| July | 5:39 AM | 6:11 AM | 6:50 AM | 8:13 PM | 8:52 PM | 9:24 PM | 14h 42m |
| August | 6:09 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:46 PM | 8:22 PM | 8:51 PM | 13h 44m |
| September | 6:40 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:42 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:35 PM | 8:02 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 7:08 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:12 AM | 6:11 PM | 6:47 PM | 7:14 PM | 11h 12m |
| November | 6:41 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:50 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:11 PM | 5:40 PM | 10h 01m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:39 AM | 8:22 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:33 PM | 9h 24m |
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 Rinard Covered Bridge, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from March through September. June gives the longest window (about 5.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 22° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| February | 5:32 AM – 5:42 AM | 0.2 | 12° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:42 AM – 6:02 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:39 AM – 5:09 AM | 2.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:42 AM – 4:12 AM | 3.5 | 22° | SE → S |
| June | 10:56 PM – 3:56 AM | 5.0 | 22° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:48 PM – 2:28 AM | 3.7 | 22° | S → SW |
| August | 10:03 PM – 12:23 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 9:07 PM – 10:27 PM | 1.3 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:17 PM – 8:27 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: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.6 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 50% average cloud cover) and January 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 | 70 | 72 | 80 | 84 | 92 | 100 | 106 | 101 | 100 | 95 | 77 | 69 |
| Low °F | -7 | -3 | -1 | 22 | 26 | 39 | 49 | 48 | 39 | 26 | 13 | 3 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 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.
- 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 Rinard Covered Bridge, closest first.
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
Covered Bridge
National Wildlife RefugeCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Rinard Covered Bridge?
What time is golden hour at Rinard Covered Bridge?
Where does the sun rise and set at Rinard Covered Bridge?
Can you see the Milky Way from Rinard Covered Bridge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Rinard Covered Bridge?
How far is Rinard Covered Bridge from New Matamoras?
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.