Bartram's Covered Bridge is a covered bridge in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It sits roughly 6.1 km (3.8 mi) S of Berwyn. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bartram's Covered Bridge, a historic covered bridge built in 1860, uses a Burr Truss design and carried Goshen Road over Crum Creek on the border between Delaware County and Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is 30 feet (9.1 m) long and 13 feet (4.0 m) wide and is the only covered bridge remaining of the 30 which once stood in Delaware County. The bridge has slanted planks at each entrance and is the only covered bridge in Pennsylvania with this feature. According to an on-site marker from the Newtown Square Historical Preservation Society, the bridge was built to be "hi and wide as a load of hay" It was built by Ferdinand Wood and named for Mordecai Bartram. It was closed to traffic in 1941 and stands next to a new bridge on Goshen Road. The east end of the bridge is located in Newtown Township, Delaware County and the west end in Willistown Township, Chester County. It was...From the Wikipedia article “Bartram's Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bartram's Covered Bridge 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 302° (WNW) in June to 240° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 73° in summer but only 27° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:06 AM | 90° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:34 AM | 58° ENE | 8:35 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 01m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:50 AM | 89° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:21 AM | 121° ESE | 4:40 PM | 240° WSW | 27° | 9h 20m |
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 | 6:53 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:04 AM | 4:20 PM | 5:01 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 39m |
| February | 6:28 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:33 AM | 5:00 PM | 5:38 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 6:47 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:50 AM | 6:33 PM | 7:09 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 55m |
| April | 5:57 AM | 6:25 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:04 PM | 7:40 PM | 8:08 PM | 13h 15m |
| May | 5:17 AM | 5:48 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:32 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:41 PM | 14h 23m |
| June | 5:00 AM | 5:33 AM | 6:14 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:06 PM | 15h 00m |
| July | 5:14 AM | 5:46 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:31 PM | 9:02 PM | 14h 44m |
| August | 5:45 AM | 6:14 AM | 6:51 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 46m |
| September | 6:16 AM | 6:43 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:12 PM | 7:40 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:45 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:47 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:51 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:19 AM | 6:48 AM | 7:28 AM | 4:07 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:16 PM | 9h 59m |
| December | 6:47 AM | 7:17 AM | 8:00 AM | 3:55 PM | 4:38 PM | 5:09 PM | 9h 21m |
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 Bartram's 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 7 (suburban / urban transition), 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 | 5:09 AM – 5:19 AM | 0.2 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:19 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.3 | 18° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:17 AM – 4:37 AM | 2.3 | 21° | SE → S |
| May | 12:21 AM – 3:51 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:36 PM – 3:26 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:28 PM – 1:58 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:42 PM – 12:02 AM | 2.3 | 21° | S → SW |
| September | 8:45 PM – 9:55 PM | 1.2 | 18° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:54 PM – 8:04 PM | 0.2 | 11° | 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: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.83 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 50% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (63%). 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 | 72 | 77 | 91 | 90 | 97 | 102 | 100 | 96 | 95 | 76 | 70 |
| Low °F | 0 | -1 | -3 | 25 | 35 | 46 | 55 | 54 | 43 | 30 | 21 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.9 |
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
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 Bartram's Covered Bridge, closest first.
State Park
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden
Cave
LakeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Bartram's Covered Bridge?
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How far is Bartram's Covered Bridge from Berwyn?
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.