Located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Shearer's Covered Bridge is a covered bridge. The nearest town is Manheim, about 1.0 km (0.6 mi) away (Shearer's Covered Bridge lies NNE of town). It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Shearer's Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans the Big Chiques Creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. (Chiques Creek was known as Chickies Creek until 2002). The bridge has a single span, wooden, double Burr arch trusses design. It is the only covered bridge in the county painted entirely in red, the traditional color of Lancaster County covered bridges, on both the inside and outside including both approaches. The other all red bridge, Pool Forge Covered Bridge, is only painted on the outside. It is one of only 3 covered bridges in the county with horizontal side boards. The bridge's WGCB Number is 38–36–31. Added in 1980, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as structure number 80003532. It is located at 40°10′17.4″N 76°23′23.4″W (40.17150, -76.38983).From the Wikipedia article “Shearer's Covered Bridge”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Shearer'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 26° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:10 AM | 90° E | 7:18 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:37 AM | 58° ENE | 8:39 PM | 302° WNW | 73° | 15h 02m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:54 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 50° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:25 AM | 121° ESE | 4:44 PM | 240° WSW | 26° | 9h 18m |
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 | 6:57 AM | 7:27 AM | 8:08 AM | 4:23 PM | 5:04 PM | 5:34 PM | 9h 38m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:04 PM | 5:41 PM | 6:09 PM | 10h 42m |
| March | 6:51 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:54 AM | 6:37 PM | 7:13 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 54m |
| April | 6:00 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:05 AM | 7:08 PM | 7:44 PM | 8:12 PM | 13h 16m |
| May | 5:20 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:30 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:15 PM | 8:45 PM | 14h 24m |
| June | 5:04 AM | 5:36 AM | 6:17 AM | 7:56 PM | 8:37 PM | 9:10 PM | 15h 01m |
| July | 5:17 AM | 5:49 AM | 6:29 AM | 7:55 PM | 8:35 PM | 9:07 PM | 14h 45m |
| August | 5:49 AM | 6:18 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:04 PM | 8:33 PM | 13h 47m |
| September | 6:20 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:23 AM | 6:40 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:44 PM | 12h 29m |
| October | 6:49 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:53 AM | 5:51 PM | 6:27 PM | 6:55 PM | 11h 11m |
| November | 6:23 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:32 AM | 4:10 PM | 4:50 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 58m |
| December | 6:51 AM | 7:22 AM | 8:05 AM | 3:58 PM | 4:41 PM | 5:12 PM | 9h 20m |
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 Shearer'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 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 | — | -2° | — |
| February | 5:23 AM – 5:23 AM | 0.0 | 11° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:34 AM – 5:44 AM | 1.2 | 17° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:32 AM – 4:42 AM | 2.2 | 20° | SE → S |
| May | 12:27 AM – 3:57 AM | 3.5 | 21° | SE → S |
| June | 10:42 PM – 3:32 AM | 4.8 | 21° | SE → SSW |
| July | 10:34 PM – 2:04 AM | 3.5 | 21° | S → SW |
| August | 9:47 PM – 12:07 AM | 2.3 | 20° | S → SW |
| September | 8:49 PM – 9:59 PM | 1.2 | 17° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:58 PM – 8:08 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: 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 ≈ 19.74 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 54% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (71%). 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 | 73 | 77 | 88 | 91 | 95 | 103 | 101 | 96 | 93 | 78 | 71 |
| Low °F | -9 | -12 | -8 | 21 | 28 | 41 | 49 | 49 | 38 | 24 | 11 | 1 |
| Precip. (in) | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 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 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.
- 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 Shearer's Covered Bridge, closest first.
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Scenic Viewpoint
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Covered BridgeFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Shearer's Covered Bridge?
What time is golden hour at Shearer's Covered Bridge?
Where does the sun rise and set at Shearer's Covered Bridge?
Can you see the Milky Way from Shearer's Covered Bridge?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Shearer's Covered Bridge?
How far is Shearer's Covered Bridge from Manheim?
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.